Theatrical Context
Arthur Kutscher said “ he does not want people to forget that they are in the theatre, but he emphasizes the theatre and always keeps the public and its reactions in mind” (Willett 107). “He was the great Munich theatrical figure immediately before brecht’s time”(Willett 108). He was exposed to the naturalists, but rejected their reception of theatricality. He did however, agree that the biological instincts and urges they believed in, were inherent in all people and more influential than society was willing to admit. “In the final decades of the nineteenth century, bolstered by an expanding urban middle class, rapid technological advancement, and the influence of Darwin and Freud, realism became entrenched as a springboard for Western theatre to examine topics that had previously been unexamined or taboo. Accepted standards for what had constituted drama that had field sway since Aristotle's Poetics were vigorously challenged as new character types became fodder for dramatic investigation, hitherto unheralded characters moved to the forefront, and the classic distinction between "tragedy" and "comedy" became less distinct” (Journey). Frank Wedekind is said t be one of the fathers of Epic Theater, later influencing Brecht and the Dada movement. Chekhov is also said to be heavily influenced by Wdekind, dealing with disillusioned youth, a society in transition, and the blurring of the line between tragedy and comedy.