The Dramatic Theme of China's Plays

The themes of China's plays are partly from real life, partly from historical archives or historical legends, and mostly directly from literary works. Traditional poems, novels, scripts, legends, variations and lyrics have become inexhaustible themes in China's plays. Drama creators face the same theme, sometimes they win or lose, and sometimes they don't know each other. They often take pains to manage, and sometimes even search for the poor, in order to refine the theme and condense the spirit. When the theme spirit of a play transcends history or peers, it can become an artistic masterpiece; However, when many dramas with the same theme can be established separately, the artistic value of their dramas is often either equally divided or divided into three parts. Tan Zhengbi said: "China's ancient dramas have always been different from the north: Jin and Yuan dramas belong to the north, and Song and Yuan dramas belong to the south ... Later, the Yuan Dynasty unified China, and the North and South dramas prevailed everywhere at the same time. Therefore, playwrights compete with each other to win, often with the same theme, and also compete with each other to write their own masterpieces. Therefore, in the popular dramas at that time, there were many operas and zaju with the same theme, which was the reason. " Not only in the yuan dynasty, but also between the flower department and the elegant department in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In modern times, this kind of situation also exists in a large number among Beijing Opera, Kunqu Opera and local operas. However, with the development of theme spirit, dramas with the same theme have different fates. When its theme spirit reaches the unity of historical value and practical value, the play often becomes a traditional repertoire; On the contrary, it is a flash in the pan in the long river of art. For example, there are hundreds of plays adapted from the Water Margin, and only Sanda Zhujiazhuang, Zuishan Gate, and Liangshan Mountain are really alive now. There are hundreds of plays adapted from The Journey to the West, but only a few of them can really be put on the stage, such as Monkey King Thrice Defeats the Skeleton Demon. Other dramas based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the legends of the Tang and Song Dynasties have only survived, such as Borrowing the East Wind, Fighting in the Street Pavilion, Going to the Meeting with a Single Sword, Du Shiniang and Peach Blossom with a Face. Many of these plays have been repeatedly developed and adjusted by several generations of playwrights before they become reserved plays in Chinese dramas. Its artistic life lies in the coincidence of the theme spirit of these plays and the aesthetic values of the times, so it can arouse the psychological sense of several generations.