Stages of Evil: Occultism in Western Theater and DramaUniversity Press of Kentucky, 2005 M12 23 - 344 pages ÒThe evil that men doÓ has been chronicled for thousands of years on the European stage, and perhaps nowhere else is human fear of our own evil more detailed than in its personifications in theater. Early writers used theater to communicate human experiences and to display reverence for the gods governing daily life. Playwrights from Euripides onward sought inspiration from this interplay between the worldly and the occult, using human belief in the divine to govern charactersÕ actions within a dramatic arena. The constant adherence to the supernatural, despite changing religious ideologies over the centuries, testifies to a deep and continuing belief in the ability of a higher power to interfere in human life. Stages of Evil is the first book to examine the representation and relationship of evil and the occult from the prehistoric origins of drama through to the present day. Drawing on examples of magic, astronomy, demonology, possession, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo, author Robert Lima explores how theater shaped American and European perceptions of the occult and how the dramatic works studied here reflect society back upon itself at different points in history. From representations of Dionysian rites in ancient Greece, to the Mouth of Hell in the Middle Ages, to the mystical cabalistic life of the Hasidic Jews, to the witchcraft and magic of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, Lima traces the recurrence of supernatural motifs in pivotal plays and performance works of the Western tradition. Considering numerous myths and cultural artifacts, such as the Òwild man,Ó he describes the evolution and continual representation of supernatural archetypes on the modern stage. He also discusses the sociohistorical implications of Christian and pagan representations of evil and the theatrical creativity that occultism has engendered. Delving into his own theatrical, literary, folkloric, and travel experiences to enhance his observations, Lima assays the complex world of occultism and examines diverse works of Western theater and drama. A unique and comprehensive bibliography of European and American plays concludes the study and facilitates further research into the realm of the social and literary impact of the occult. |
From inside the book
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Page 3
... classical sources once prohibited . The theater was reinstated as a cultural activity and flourished on all levels of society . Among its patrons were members of the nobility and of the church's hierarchy - bishops , cardinals , and ...
... classical sources once prohibited . The theater was reinstated as a cultural activity and flourished on all levels of society . Among its patrons were members of the nobility and of the church's hierarchy - bishops , cardinals , and ...
Page 6
... classical times to the modern era. As such, the text brings together works that show the di- versity of treatments of evil as manifested through early theatrical history and written texts that make up the representational tradition of ...
... classical times to the modern era. As such, the text brings together works that show the di- versity of treatments of evil as manifested through early theatrical history and written texts that make up the representational tradition of ...
Page 15
... classical, bibli- cal, and other lores formed a syncretic bond, creating one of the symbols that not only proved frightening to the medieval mind but continued to fascinate churchmen, laity, and artists well into the seventeenth century ...
... classical, bibli- cal, and other lores formed a syncretic bond, creating one of the symbols that not only proved frightening to the medieval mind but continued to fascinate churchmen, laity, and artists well into the seventeenth century ...
Page 23
... classical and Oriental conceptions of exotic beasts that had informed the apocalyptic vision of Saint John the Divine early on had been strengthened in the European consciousness through the travel accounts of such as Marco Polo ...
... classical and Oriental conceptions of exotic beasts that had informed the apocalyptic vision of Saint John the Divine early on had been strengthened in the European consciousness through the travel accounts of such as Marco Polo ...
Page 25
... classical sources, Christianity relied on Old Testament texts as evidence of the belief's antiquity. In Numbers, it found the words of Moses on the fate of the rebellious Korah (Core), Dathan, and Abiram: ye But if the Lord make a new ...
... classical sources, Christianity relied on Old Testament texts as evidence of the belief's antiquity. In Numbers, it found the words of Moses on the fate of the rebellious Korah (Core), Dathan, and Abiram: ye But if the Lord make a new ...
Contents
13 | |
47 | |
3 The Pagan Pluto | 83 |
4 The Primal Spirit | 101 |
5 Rites of Passage | 117 |
6 The Savaged Mind | 137 |
7 Satan in Salem | 147 |
8 A Matter of Habit | 159 |
9 The Prey of the Vampire | 177 |
10 Witherd and Wild | 197 |
11 The Cave and the Magician | 225 |
Appendix | 271 |
Index | 315 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abigail ancient anonymous Arlecchino Bacchae belief cabalistic Calixto y Melibea cave Celestina century Channon Christian church classical collaboration commedia dell’arte conjuration context cueva dark death deity demonic pact Der Vampyr Devil Dionysus Dracula dragon Drama Dybbuk English Euripides evil exorcism Fairy Faust Fileno France Friar Germany Ghost God’s Grandier Greek Hades Harlequin Hecate Hellekin Hellequin human Ireland Italy John England Jones King Leah Lord Lucifer Macbeth magic magician manifest marqués de Villena mask Masque Medea medieval Mother motif Mouth of Hell mystère Mystery play myth Nieva Nosferatu occult pagan Passion play Pentheus Pluto possession priest punishment religious rites ritual Saint Salamanca Salem Satan scene serpent sexual Sister Jeanne soul spirit stage supernatural symbolic theater Thomas England tion Tituba tradition Tragedy Tragicomedia de Calixto Translated underworld United Urbain Grandier vampire France Wild William William Rowley Witch of Edmonton witchcraft witches York