Introduction
One theater history's most read and most played, Tragedy of King Christophe is the work that has mainly been understood by black people. This play directed by Serreau was played at the Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar in 1966. Published in 1963, this play never stops to impress. Its action is that traces the black struggle for freedom and independence, but also the destiny of the country shines through the dark fate of the king's action Christophe summarizing the new leaders of these new countries. This study we propose will revolve around the following: The life and work of the playwright, the abstract part, structure, characters, themes and drama of Cesaire.
I. The man and the work
1. The life of the author
Born into a modest family of Fort-de-France, writer and man of action, Aimé Césaire was born June 26, 1913, in Basse-Pointe in Martinique to the north and is part of a family of seven children. His father is a teacher and his mother a seamstress at the age of six, he entered primary school. After a good education at school in his hometown, Aimé Césaire was awarded a scholarship to continue her studies in Paris at the Lycee Louis-le-Grand.
1932-1933, Césaire joined Hypokhâgne Louis-le-Grand, where he met Ousmane Socé and Leopold Sedar Senghor.
Caesarius succeeded the entrance examination at the ENS in 1935. He travels on Martinique and begins to write the Book. In 1937 Césaire married Miss Roussy. 1937 sees the birth of her first child and he just finished the Book which he published in 1939 in the journal Wills.
Césaire and his wife Suzanne Césaire are assigned as teachers in high school Victor Schoelcher Fort-de-France. Césaire was elected mayor of the city under the colors of the French Communist Party (PCF), he left in 1956 and the opportunity to address a letter to Thorez. He renounces the deputation in 1993. He left politics without leaving altogether, he supports the candidacy of Ségolène Royal in the 2007 presidential election. On April 9 he was hospitalized and died April 17, 2008 to Fort-de-France
2. The work of Césaire
prolific writer, publishing several books Césaire:
Weapons miraculous (poetry), 1946; Sun neck cut, (poetry), 1948; Corps lost (poetry) 1949; Discourse on Colonialism, (test), 1955; Letters to Thorez, 1956; And the dogs were silent (poetry and drama), 1956; Fittings (poetry), 1960; Cadastre (poetry), 1961; Toussaint Louverture (historical) 1962; Tragedy of King Christophe (theater), 1963; A Season in the Congo, (1967); Storm (Theatre), 1969; Complete Works, 1976; Me, laminar ..., 1982.
II. The summary of the plot
The play is preceded by a prologue depicting a dogfight, one called Christopher, another Potion. Otherwise the action starts with the visit of Petion sent by the Senate propose to the Chair Christopher. He refuses sniffing the plot to remove power by offering a power vacuum. Thus revolt he cons the mulattoes and proclaimed himself king of Haiti. Therefore the country is divided between supporters of Christopher Vastey including its Secretary and those who side with the colonial power. This was followed by the coronation ceremony celebrated by Archbishop Cornelius Brelle, then the swearing in of the king. He mastered the rebellion led by Metellus. Cons Petion, he proposed the unification of the state, but the Senate is plotting behind his back. Christopher decides to build a citadel, a symbol of power in Haiti and forced the people to work. He commissioned a farmer who does not work and employs the girls to work construction. Do not support these excesses, Cornelius Brelle request Hugonin rest while organizing a mass wedding to avoid debauchery. Christopher gave the order to remove the archbishop. But during the Mass of the Assumption, Christopher was paralyzed by the specter of Cornelius Brelle. He begins to realize and dream of a final victory and is preparing to commit suicide. After his death, his wife, a top African Vastey say its great destiny.
III. The structure of the piece
The structure of the play in three acts facilitates understanding of the progression of the action. Basically each act is centered on the hero Christophe. Thus we have the following structure.
Act I: The conquest of power and the coronation of Christopher. In this section, Christophe opposes Petion which is mandated by the Senate to remove Christopher from power. The latter not only refused, but made a secession and proclaimed himself king of Haiti. He organizes his coronation, a celebration.
Act II: After her crowning, it was the civil war. Much of the people is against the King Christophe, including the bourgeoisie, some peasants, his own generals betray nothing of the outside power.
Act III: Despite warnings especially his wife, Chris is determined to lead the country with an iron hand, and tyranny, her hard labor and excess ends his reign, however, when he began to to its realization.
IV. Characters
1. The hero: Henri Christophe
Christophe is a former chef and general became king of Haiti. This climb is already showing his exceptional destiny, but also tragic, because the struggle for freedom and independence of his people. He is a king excessive and authoritarian, he explains the work to arrive at the other, "I ask the men too but not enough to Negroes," he says. In its draft to forget the past of slavery and create a better future, it requires, as a tyrant, the people working hard to kill even lazy. Its excesses are considered cruel by the people he wants to free through work, because for him there is the point of fatigue is no rest or leave. To unify the state, he attacked the headquarters of Petion Port-au-Prince. However he will be aware its action too late, and its failure will mean his death. So he said at the end, "I wanted to force the riddle of the people behind" (p. 140)
2. Adjuvants of King Christophe
Vastey: He is the king's secretary, and to his cause, to his ideal. He understands his king and his projects, and therefore stands in front of his rivals. He runs so Christophe policy, because he tries to convince the people how to act to solve the problem of the country. But despite his intelligence to anticipate problems, it did not object Christophe to influence its decisions by wise advice.
Hugonin: In the play, it is characterized as "a mixture of parasite, jester and money politics" that always accompanies the king. It occupies the role of courtier perceived in classical theater. It was he who in the market, entertains the people with his songs and comments. From both very grotesque, he managed to relax with jokes an atmosphere somewhat tragic. But behind this mask lies a wise fool can tell the truth and give a critique without offending the king. Also back there King Christophe to reason, saying that "people go to their pitch, Majesty" (Act III, Scene 6). So sometimes he transformed the stage into a little comedy and educates by making people laugh.
Mrs. Christopher: She was a maid at the inn crown (Act 1, Scene 7). It is a simple person, humble and very lucid. She warned her husband of his excesses and restrains during moments of blindness. Patient wife, she assists her husband until his death.
Chanlatte: It is the national poet.
3. Opponents of the king.
Petion: It is mulatto and he tries to deceive Christopher power by offering "no crust or crumb." It is sent by the senate and he wants above all the power and ally with the French King Louis XVIII. Good speaker, he defends the cause of mulattoes. However, his Machiavellian maneuvers will turn against him, and he was replaced by Boyer.
Metellus: He is an accomplished warrior. Even if it is against Christopher, he is not with Petion. He was the comrade of Toussaint Louverture and is ready to give his life for the unity of the nation. It is about twice the level heroic Christopher.
Cornelius Brelle Gonzales and Juan de Dios: They represent the religion and the Catholic Church. They're Invalid. Cornelius Brelle claims the right to rest and the king suspected of being an ally of the whites to destabilize his regime. Besides, it will hit its spectrum King Christophe. Therefore, it is replaced during the coronation ceremony. The second, with the name of English origin is a kind of parasite and does not inspire confidence either
Other characters
The Duke of Lemonade, the Duke of Dondon, the Duke of Sale-Hole, the Duke of Piacenza, Magny ... Through the exotic name of France, lies a willingness to criticize the Western power. They will be the first to betray the king.
V. Themes
themes developed by Cesaire in this room are many. Slavery, exploitation, politics, economics, infrastructure, independence, freedom, revolt or rebellion, family, war, trust, betrayal, colonization, voodoo tradition, the work, the excessiveness of the hero, the hero's loneliness, heroism, etc.. Reading this piece makes it possible to grasp the importance and variety of themes explained by the fact that here it is the creation of a State and a State, that's all.
VI. Dramaturgy of Césaire
In the dramaturgy of Cesaire, everything rests on the historical time and space to stage both real and ideal. Briefly they can be studied as follows:
1. Space and time in the tragedy
a) Time
The first act is devoted to the period covering 1806 to 1812, that is to say from the moment of secession until the celebration of anniversary of his coronation.
Acts II and III occupy a historical time of eight (8) years and depict the reign of Christopher until his death in 1820.
Thus the playwright does not take into account the significant moments in the life of the royal court and the important decisions were taken that led to the tragic end.
b) The space
Space is often said in the room. Market Cap One, the palace, the cathedral of Cape Town, the battlefield, to Port-au-Prince, the Senate, in a bourgeois living room, etc.. These indications of specific locations create a kind of reality. And the king trail almost all places, so that the scene is very mobile
Césaire uses the prologue with a start that featured a cockfight. Thus he announces, even summarizes the jurisdiction of the room. But inside the vicissitudes of the play are interspersed with theatrical types:
2. A total theater
- the vaudeville: vaudeville is a light comedy whose plot is based largely on misunderstanding or misconception, bouncing and ribald situations and coarse. Hugonin is accomplished actor of vaudeville. During the celebration, joke provides examples: "Hey beautiful, it's not rapadou I want is you, teddy! No wall girders! Te storm, my security blanket! "
- the ballet: the choreography is performed by a troupe of dancers. It was the ballet during the celebration of the coronation of King Christophe. Playwright makes
here total theater operator in both the music the song and dance .
Conclusion
Tragedy of King Christophe has become a classic. Do not follow the rules of classical tragedy, it is mainly a mixture of modern and ancient theater, and one might even say it is an African tragedy, so it is original and differs from the Western theater. The comedy and tragedy vanishes, vaudeville is expressed, the story is the thread that leads from end to end action, music, song and dance as a ballet made the room a total theater, a theater Africa.
One theater history's most read and most played, Tragedy of King Christophe is the work that has mainly been understood by black people. This play directed by Serreau was played at the Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar in 1966. Published in 1963, this play never stops to impress. Its action is that traces the black struggle for freedom and independence, but also the destiny of the country shines through the dark fate of the king's action Christophe summarizing the new leaders of these new countries. This study we propose will revolve around the following: The life and work of the playwright, the abstract part, structure, characters, themes and drama of Cesaire.
I. The man and the work
1. The life of the author
Born into a modest family of Fort-de-France, writer and man of action, Aimé Césaire was born June 26, 1913, in Basse-Pointe in Martinique to the north and is part of a family of seven children. His father is a teacher and his mother a seamstress at the age of six, he entered primary school. After a good education at school in his hometown, Aimé Césaire was awarded a scholarship to continue her studies in Paris at the Lycee Louis-le-Grand.
1932-1933, Césaire joined Hypokhâgne Louis-le-Grand, where he met Ousmane Socé and Leopold Sedar Senghor.
Caesarius succeeded the entrance examination at the ENS in 1935. He travels on Martinique and begins to write the Book. In 1937 Césaire married Miss Roussy. 1937 sees the birth of her first child and he just finished the Book which he published in 1939 in the journal Wills.
Césaire and his wife Suzanne Césaire are assigned as teachers in high school Victor Schoelcher Fort-de-France. Césaire was elected mayor of the city under the colors of the French Communist Party (PCF), he left in 1956 and the opportunity to address a letter to Thorez. He renounces the deputation in 1993. He left politics without leaving altogether, he supports the candidacy of Ségolène Royal in the 2007 presidential election. On April 9 he was hospitalized and died April 17, 2008 to Fort-de-France
2. The work of Césaire
prolific writer, publishing several books Césaire:
Weapons miraculous (poetry), 1946; Sun neck cut, (poetry), 1948; Corps lost (poetry) 1949; Discourse on Colonialism, (test), 1955; Letters to Thorez, 1956; And the dogs were silent (poetry and drama), 1956; Fittings (poetry), 1960; Cadastre (poetry), 1961; Toussaint Louverture (historical) 1962; Tragedy of King Christophe (theater), 1963; A Season in the Congo, (1967); Storm (Theatre), 1969; Complete Works, 1976; Me, laminar ..., 1982.
II. The summary of the plot
The play is preceded by a prologue depicting a dogfight, one called Christopher, another Potion. Otherwise the action starts with the visit of Petion sent by the Senate propose to the Chair Christopher. He refuses sniffing the plot to remove power by offering a power vacuum. Thus revolt he cons the mulattoes and proclaimed himself king of Haiti. Therefore the country is divided between supporters of Christopher Vastey including its Secretary and those who side with the colonial power. This was followed by the coronation ceremony celebrated by Archbishop Cornelius Brelle, then the swearing in of the king. He mastered the rebellion led by Metellus. Cons Petion, he proposed the unification of the state, but the Senate is plotting behind his back. Christopher decides to build a citadel, a symbol of power in Haiti and forced the people to work. He commissioned a farmer who does not work and employs the girls to work construction. Do not support these excesses, Cornelius Brelle request Hugonin rest while organizing a mass wedding to avoid debauchery. Christopher gave the order to remove the archbishop. But during the Mass of the Assumption, Christopher was paralyzed by the specter of Cornelius Brelle. He begins to realize and dream of a final victory and is preparing to commit suicide. After his death, his wife, a top African Vastey say its great destiny.
III. The structure of the piece
The structure of the play in three acts facilitates understanding of the progression of the action. Basically each act is centered on the hero Christophe. Thus we have the following structure.
Act I: The conquest of power and the coronation of Christopher. In this section, Christophe opposes Petion which is mandated by the Senate to remove Christopher from power. The latter not only refused, but made a secession and proclaimed himself king of Haiti. He organizes his coronation, a celebration.
Act II: After her crowning, it was the civil war. Much of the people is against the King Christophe, including the bourgeoisie, some peasants, his own generals betray nothing of the outside power.
Act III: Despite warnings especially his wife, Chris is determined to lead the country with an iron hand, and tyranny, her hard labor and excess ends his reign, however, when he began to to its realization.
IV. Characters
1. The hero: Henri Christophe
Christophe is a former chef and general became king of Haiti. This climb is already showing his exceptional destiny, but also tragic, because the struggle for freedom and independence of his people. He is a king excessive and authoritarian, he explains the work to arrive at the other, "I ask the men too but not enough to Negroes," he says. In its draft to forget the past of slavery and create a better future, it requires, as a tyrant, the people working hard to kill even lazy. Its excesses are considered cruel by the people he wants to free through work, because for him there is the point of fatigue is no rest or leave. To unify the state, he attacked the headquarters of Petion Port-au-Prince. However he will be aware its action too late, and its failure will mean his death. So he said at the end, "I wanted to force the riddle of the people behind" (p. 140)
2. Adjuvants of King Christophe
Vastey: He is the king's secretary, and to his cause, to his ideal. He understands his king and his projects, and therefore stands in front of his rivals. He runs so Christophe policy, because he tries to convince the people how to act to solve the problem of the country. But despite his intelligence to anticipate problems, it did not object Christophe to influence its decisions by wise advice.
Hugonin: In the play, it is characterized as "a mixture of parasite, jester and money politics" that always accompanies the king. It occupies the role of courtier perceived in classical theater. It was he who in the market, entertains the people with his songs and comments. From both very grotesque, he managed to relax with jokes an atmosphere somewhat tragic. But behind this mask lies a wise fool can tell the truth and give a critique without offending the king. Also back there King Christophe to reason, saying that "people go to their pitch, Majesty" (Act III, Scene 6). So sometimes he transformed the stage into a little comedy and educates by making people laugh.
Mrs. Christopher: She was a maid at the inn crown (Act 1, Scene 7). It is a simple person, humble and very lucid. She warned her husband of his excesses and restrains during moments of blindness. Patient wife, she assists her husband until his death.
Chanlatte: It is the national poet.
3. Opponents of the king.
Petion: It is mulatto and he tries to deceive Christopher power by offering "no crust or crumb." It is sent by the senate and he wants above all the power and ally with the French King Louis XVIII. Good speaker, he defends the cause of mulattoes. However, his Machiavellian maneuvers will turn against him, and he was replaced by Boyer.
Metellus: He is an accomplished warrior. Even if it is against Christopher, he is not with Petion. He was the comrade of Toussaint Louverture and is ready to give his life for the unity of the nation. It is about twice the level heroic Christopher.
Cornelius Brelle Gonzales and Juan de Dios: They represent the religion and the Catholic Church. They're Invalid. Cornelius Brelle claims the right to rest and the king suspected of being an ally of the whites to destabilize his regime. Besides, it will hit its spectrum King Christophe. Therefore, it is replaced during the coronation ceremony. The second, with the name of English origin is a kind of parasite and does not inspire confidence either
Other characters
The Duke of Lemonade, the Duke of Dondon, the Duke of Sale-Hole, the Duke of Piacenza, Magny ... Through the exotic name of France, lies a willingness to criticize the Western power. They will be the first to betray the king.
V. Themes
themes developed by Cesaire in this room are many. Slavery, exploitation, politics, economics, infrastructure, independence, freedom, revolt or rebellion, family, war, trust, betrayal, colonization, voodoo tradition, the work, the excessiveness of the hero, the hero's loneliness, heroism, etc.. Reading this piece makes it possible to grasp the importance and variety of themes explained by the fact that here it is the creation of a State and a State, that's all.
VI. Dramaturgy of Césaire
In the dramaturgy of Cesaire, everything rests on the historical time and space to stage both real and ideal. Briefly they can be studied as follows:
1. Space and time in the tragedy
a) Time
The first act is devoted to the period covering 1806 to 1812, that is to say from the moment of secession until the celebration of anniversary of his coronation.
Acts II and III occupy a historical time of eight (8) years and depict the reign of Christopher until his death in 1820.
Thus the playwright does not take into account the significant moments in the life of the royal court and the important decisions were taken that led to the tragic end.
b) The space
Space is often said in the room. Market Cap One, the palace, the cathedral of Cape Town, the battlefield, to Port-au-Prince, the Senate, in a bourgeois living room, etc.. These indications of specific locations create a kind of reality. And the king trail almost all places, so that the scene is very mobile
Césaire uses the prologue with a start that featured a cockfight. Thus he announces, even summarizes the jurisdiction of the room. But inside the vicissitudes of the play are interspersed with theatrical types:
2. A total theater
- the vaudeville: vaudeville is a light comedy whose plot is based largely on misunderstanding or misconception, bouncing and ribald situations and coarse. Hugonin is accomplished actor of vaudeville. During the celebration, joke provides examples: "Hey beautiful, it's not rapadou I want is you, teddy! No wall girders! Te storm, my security blanket! "
- the ballet: the choreography is performed by a troupe of dancers. It was the ballet during the celebration of the coronation of King Christophe. Playwright makes
here total theater operator in both the music the song and dance .
Conclusion
Tragedy of King Christophe has become a classic. Do not follow the rules of classical tragedy, it is mainly a mixture of modern and ancient theater, and one might even say it is an African tragedy, so it is original and differs from the Western theater. The comedy and tragedy vanishes, vaudeville is expressed, the story is the thread that leads from end to end action, music, song and dance as a ballet made the room a total theater, a theater Africa.
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