The Influence of Semiology on Theatre Criticism in Serbia

Abstract

In this paper, the author starts from the thesis that semiology introduced the following innovations in the study of drama and theatre: it offered a way to successfully analyse the so-called “classical” plays, i.e. dramatic works based on the principles of Aristotelian-Hegelian dramaturgy, as well as the so-called modern or avant-garde works, i.e. dramatic works that break with this tradition; she proved that one could not talk about the exact transfer of the dramatic work to the stage because the dramatic work and the play do not operate with the same signs, which legitimizes greater freedom of the artist in performing the work; finally, she found that theatre is a powerful social activity, i.e. cultural system, and thereby provided a theoretical basis for the engaged theatre.