Looking At The British Attitude Towards The French Revolution From British Drama

As a literary form,theatre plays an important role in entertainment as well as education.Especially in 18 th century Britain,the theatre was deeply attached with politics and had been much politicized.The maintenance of authority in Britain was heavily reliant on the show of power.George III,for example,would display himself to the public by means of processions,religious rituals,military reviews and so on.On the other hand,the lower orders often responded to the performances of the elite with their own theatrical forms such as ritualized rioting or the burning of effigies.Theatre stage in London was just the center of political culture.Political meaning was imposed on the plays and performances.Even the audiences appreciated the drama and reflected on the script’s political meaning at the same time.As a result,the London theatre was under close surveillance by English government.The French Revolution had a significant effect on Britain.It stimulated English radicalism and caused great political struggles between radicalism and conservatism.And later the French Revolution caused a war between the two countries.The French The Revolution also influenced English drama culture and society.It represented a profound challenge to the cultural politics of British theatre.New plays reconfigured the relationship between rulers and ruled,dismantling the natural authority of the elite and thereby questioning the very idea of who should hold the center stage in the theatre of the political nation.British theatres became an important way for people to know the French Revolution,express different ideas and debate between different factions.The theatre also became a political instrument for politicians and British government together with newspaper,journals and booklets.This essay studied how the English theater stage changed under the French Revolution and then analyzed the English domestic politics and the relationship between England and France.First,the essay introduced the development and political meaning of English theater.Second,the essay analyzed English dramas which presented the French Revolution in different times from 1789 to 1794.At last,the essay put English drama,English politics and Anglo-French relationship together to analyze the inner reason.Marxist philosophy believes social existence determines social consciousness.English theater in 1789—1794 was reflection of political reality.