Tang Xianzu and Philip Sidney: A Comparative Study of Chinese and English Drama Theories

Abstract

There is a vast difference between theatrical traditions of China and England as the two countries are geographically apart. Tang Xianzu (汤显祖 1550–1616) and Philip Sidney (1554–1586) lived at opposite ends of Eurasia and they had no idea of the other’s existence, let alone the other’s thoughts. Yet, by close attention to Tang Xianzu’s and Philip Sidney’s drama theories, I have identified striking similarities in terms of their focus on depth of thoughts and true feelings in artistic creation, their opinions and/or practices towards tragicomedy, and their views on the social functions of theater. Despite operating within diverse contexts–Tang in late Ming dynasty China and Sidney in Elizabethan England–commensurabilities of their drama theories further mark the departure for ruminations on perennial questions of human cognition and emotion process.