ACTE DE THÉÂTRE / Theatrical act


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Revised, January 16, 2007 by GG


ÉTYMOLOGIE / Philology

Acte, a French masc. subst. Act, an English subst. 1384, from the French acte.

Double origin :
1. from the Latin actum,i, : «a thing done» substantive neutral passive past participle of the verb ago, ere: “to do, drive, urge, chase, set in motion”, from the Greek verb áãù agô: “faire”. This verb, attached to the Indo-European theme ag-, means "to push forward", "to push in front of one’s self" : it implies the idea of a continual activity, which sets it aside from the verb facere : «to do».
In the singular, actum is defined as "action", from which derives the plural "official acts" (juridical term) and then "register of official acts", "archives". V. articles ACTE / ACTUM /Act and
2. from the Latin actus, us: "action of pushing, driving, moving" which leads to the meaning: "impulsion" or "movement", also : «rhetorical action», «comedy performance» and «part of a whole», hence the meaning «part of a play, theatrical act». This substantive also derives from the verb ago, ere: «to do».
To act: general sense first attested in 1475 and in the theatrical performance in 1594.


ÉTUDE SÉMANTIQUE / Definitions.

A part of a theatrical play made of several scenes.One of the successive but independant parts of a dramatic production. A tragedy in five acts.


CORRÉLATS / Collocations

ACTION/Action,

 

CATASTROPHE/Catastrophe, 

CLIMAX, COMPLICATION/Complication,


DESCENTE AUX ENFERS/Descent into hell, DIVISION/Division,


ENTRACTE/Intermission, ÉPISODE/Episode, ÉVÉNEMENT/Event, EXODE/Exodos, EXPOSITION/Exposition,

 

FREYTAG/Freytag's pyramid,

INTERMÉDE/Interlude, INTÉRRUPTION/Interruption,


PROLOGUE/Prologue,


REPRÉSENTATION/Performance,


SCÈNE/Scène , SOMMET/Summit, SORTIE/Exit,


TABLEAU/Picture;Scène, THÉÂTRE/Drama


UNITÉ/Unit.


NOMENCLATURES / Families of terms

COMMUNICATION/Communication,

PARTIES/Parts of works,

STRUCTURE/Structuralism and Post-structuralism,

TEMPORALITÉ/Temporality,THÉÂTRE/Drama.


MOTS-CLÉS

Action,

Catastrophe, Complication,

Descente, Deed,

Entracte, Épisode, Exposition, Freytag (pyramide de),

Communication,

Freytag,

Parties,

Représentation,

Scène, Sommet, Structure,

Tableau, Théâtre.


Keywords

Action,

Climax, Complication,

Drama,

Episode, Exposition,

Intermission,

Tableau.


ÉQUIVALENTS / Correspondences

Allemand / German : akt, aufzug (curtain raising), Vorgang (event).

Anglais / English : act, play in several acts.

Arabe / Arabic : faşl,pl. fuşūl.

Chinois / Chinese : zhe : « a break». In the sung theatre of the Mongol era (13th and 14th centuries), there was a change in the musical style from one act to another. Hence the term which meant « to break » served to designate the four acts of the « North school » theatre under the Mongols and Mings.

Mu: “ curtain” : modern-day term used to designate an act in hitherto sung but now spoken theatre. Western literature has influenced this usage.A chinese play can be divided in other ways than acts: chu.

  

Coréen / Korean :

Danois / Danish :akt.

Espagnol / Spanish : jornada(esp. In 16th cent. comedia), acto.

Français / French :

Grec / Greek : pragma.

Hongrois / Hungarian : felvonas(curtain raising).

Italien / Italian : atto.

Hébreu / Hebrew :

Japonais / Japanese : maku (curtain). In traditional Japanese drama, acts are separated from one another by a curtain.

Latin :actus.

Néerlandais / Dutch :

Persan / Farsi :

Polonais / Polish :

Portugais / Portuguese : ato.

Roumain / Romanian :

Russe / Russian : акт akt : early eighteenth century term : « part of a piece of theatre », also « comedy » from the French, by Polish intermediary. The use of akt is usually reserved for opera or ballet, dejstvije (action, operation) being more widely used.

Suédois/Swedish: akt.

Viêtnamien / Vietnamese :


COMMENTAIRE / Analysis

Since the Romans, the act is the division of a theatrical representation on three levels : temporal, dramatic and technical.The Latin word actus primarily designates a movement of the body, and orator’s gesture, acting, pantomime, its global meaning being: «theatrical performance».

The dividing up of long presentations into several acts results mainly from technical considerations such as the actors’ fatigue or the changing of scenery. But these considerations are neither objective nor universal. For instance, in Elizabethan tragedy, two successive acts could be played without an interval.

In Aristotle’s Poetic, the « extended parts » are divided into five types : the prologue, the episode, the exodos and the choral singing, itself divided into parodos and stasimon. These have nothing to do with the five acts of the former tragedies since certain of these parts (episode, stasimon) occur in one and the same tragedy. Classical Greek tragedy, of which Aristotle became the post-doctrinal authority, contained, between the prologue and the exodos (or epilogue) a number of episodes varying from two to four, but generally three; another total of five parts linked (or indeed separated) by a lyrical part.

We know that these five acts were not invented by Alexandrians but simply based on Athenian usage ; prologue and exodus losing their original traits, the sung parts either being integrated into the various acts, or treated as intervals. Instituted in the Latin theatre by Varron, the five acts became a rule mentioned by Horace (Poetic Art. c. 189) : « Neue minor neu sit quinto productior actu Fabula (...) » (The fable should not be more nor less than five acts).

In the medieval « Mystery » plays known throughout the Christian world, the production carried on over several days, and so was divided into « days ». During the Renaissance theatrical forms, these « days » were once again divided into acts, and this was the case both in latin and germanic countries. However the term « day », or jornada, subsisted in Spanish as a synonym of acto without reference to actual length.

In classical French tragedy, the five acts are also measures of time, and Corneille claims to have given each one the « ordinary length » in Examen de Médée. Several of these studies rest upon the idea that each of the five acts of the regular tragedy should be marked by an event (change of situation, news brought by a messenger, decision made by a character...). This collusion between « act » and « action » is upheld not only in Latin languages : in English act means « deed », in German Akt is synonymous of Vorgang (event), similar analogies being found in Russian, referring to the etymology of the Greek word for action drama.


Bibliographie / References