Eric Bentley (1916–2020)

This is a nice change from many of the craft books out there, most of which want to give you a set of rules, and often come off as a finger-wagging listen-to-me sort of book. This one is nothing of the sort. It's a philosophical look at the art of theatre, ranging through the history of drama from the ancient Greeks to the modern world (modern in this case being 50 years ago, but what the heck?). The book is a bit dated in the constant use of Freud, but I just kept repeating to myself, at show more least it's not Jung, and plunged ahead. The author brings up many excellent points, and even when his ideas are questionable, they provide food for thought and allow you to look at theatre in new ways you hadn't thought of before. Some minor bumps in the road from the casual, rather oblivious sexism that characterized the time in which he was writing, but mostly good, solid commentary that asks questions much more than it answers them. Loses a little for the author's determination that we need more melodrama. That seems a doubtful premise, even by his somewhat broader than usual definition of melodrama. show less

This is a collection of four Golden Age Spanish drama, ranging from 1585 to 1630 as translated by Roy Campbell, and, to my mind, varying widely in quality.

The Siege of Numantia by Miguel de Cervantes of Don Quixote fame is the first play in the book. Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare and this play dates from just a few years before Shakespeare's earliest plays. According to the Wiki, it "has been hailed by many as a rare specimen of Spanish tragedy and even as the best Spanish show more tragedy not only from the period before Lope de Vega, but of all its literature." All I can say, if this is the best tragedy in Spanish literature, then I'll pass on reading more. Cervantes is no Shakespeare when it comes to drama, unless we're going to compare this to Titus Andronicus. I found it both tedious and overwrought, a great candidate for a spoof. There are long dramatic monologues from "Spain," a river, "War," "Pestilence" and "Hunger" and I thought the climax ridiculous. Admittedly, this is an old play and I've never seen it dramatized--that can make a difference, as can the translation. But that's true of all the plays here, all with the same translator, and I liked the middle two plays and loved the last play that gives the collection its title.

Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega is by one of the most famed Spanish playwrights, and fared better in my estimation. It still seemed a bit over the top to me, though I rather appreciated a play from so early in the 17th century dealing with a peasant revolt against a tyrant. Even if it's a bit disconcerting in the end to have a torturer presented as an instrument of justice. It features some strong female characters too. This wasn't as fun as the third play, or as charming and thought-provoking as the last play, but I didn't finish feeling this was over an hour of my life I wanted back.

The Trickster of Seville by Tirso de Molina was a fun read on the page and I would love to see it on the stage. The Notes in the back call it a "great document of European civilization" given it "marks the entrance into literature of Don Juan." I've never read Byron's famous poem, but this play certainly reminded me a lot of the treatment in Mozart's Don Giovanni which obviously owes a dept to Molina.

Life is a Dream by Calderon de la Barca is the most celebrated play in the Spanish language--and it's the prize in this book in my opinion--the play in this book that to my mind could undoubtedly rank with Shakespeare. It's a great play--really unique for it's metaphysical dimensions. And it too features a strong female character. It left me smiling. I'd love to see this on film or stage. This book is rated as high as it is because of this play (and as low as it is because of Cervantes.) show less

Three plays, all of them historical in nature. The playwright plays with time and space, and also explores history through a different lens. His Recantation of Galileo was specifically written as a response to Brecht's Galileo; Bentley apparently felt Brecht was too tough on the old fellow. He also explores the McCarthy era with Are You Now or Have you Ever Been, and then turns his microscope on Jesus and the gospels in From the Memoirs of Pontius Pilate, a play that is probably too show more controversial to be performed at the current time. The writing is interesting and curious, not genius perhaps but certainly good solid work. Definitely worth the time to read. show less

i own this in the original hardcover (my printing, second printing, 1972) .. my mom collected the writings about this awful time .. and was convinced that zero mostel's testimony (excerpted here in bentley's edited volume) would have made a GREAT PLAY. i quite agree .. read the transcripts to make your own decision ... dalton trumbo's son christopher has followed this same instinct and crafted a terrific play called TRUMBO based on his father's letters and testimony befoer the House show more Committee on Un American Activites. Theatre of the absurd has nothing on this theatre of politics as lived by the men and women affected during this time. show less