Classicism

• Unity of time referred to the need for the entire action of the play to take place in a fictional 24-hour period
• Unity of place was as it sounds, the action had to unfold in a single location
• Unity of action meant that the play should be constructed around a single 'plot-line' , such as a tragic love affair or a conflict between honour and duty.

The language also had to be of the most exalted kind, excluding 'low-life' characters and smutty jokes.

Classicists did not approve of Shakespeare, who broke all these rules and plenty more.

Examples of classicist playwrights:

• Pierre Corneille
• Jean Racine

Victor Hugo was among the first french playwrights to break these conventions.