History CentralTheme / Theatre

* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'': Hatred will always lead to tragedy.

* ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' (2013 musical): The transformative power of imagination.

* ''Theatre/TimonOfAthens'': It is much better to be a misanthrope; you won't be hurt in the end.

** Though life may be unfair, becoming a WellIntentionedExtremist won’t fix it.

* ''Theatre/TheOresteia'': The CycleOfRevenge, to what extent {{Revenge}} is justified and how does one break out of the cycle.
* ''[[Creator/HenrikIbsen The Wild Duck]]'': Some people live a lie but sometimes the lie is all they have.
* ''Theatre/ADollsHouse'': The inequalities and delusions between a man and a woman within marriage, and what effect these can have on the relationship between them.
* ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'': Love can be difficult, but also magical and beautiful
* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': The clash of thought and action. A complex mind finds simple actions such as {{Revenge}} hard to appreciate whereas more pragmatic simple people can live with themselves by easy justifications.
* ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'': What is the real role of women in marriage?
* ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'': The conflict between personal honor and the greater good. Whether a honorable man can retain honor after committing betrayal and in the face of defeat.
* ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'': Jealousy.
* ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'': The cost of the pursuit of power.
* ''Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra'': Every great man dies twice.
* ''Theatre/AllsWellThatEndsWell'': The role women play in young mens' transition to adulthood.
* ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'': How personal issues and hangups can cloud one's judgment.
* ''Film/GlenGarryGlenRoss'': Persuasion.
** What it takes to make it in modern business, even if this means losing your soul in the process.

* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': The price of young and reckless love.
* ''Theatre/KingLear'': How madness can corrupt and give wisdom.
* ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'': "All the world's a stage, and we are merely players."
* ''Theatre/TheCrucible'': Religion can destroy people. Religion can turn someone to the side of the Devil. But it can also find the true goodness of a person that has been hidden.
** Also, people are bound and driven to find a scapegoat to avoid facing their own problems.

* ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'': Democracy can be corrupted by any asshole who chooses to do so.
** When SocietyMarchesOn, it leaves behind some truly amazing people.
* ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'': When a man acts upon revenge, and become part of its vicious cycle.

* ''Film/AFewGoodMen'': Avoiding responsibility.
* ''Theatre/CatOnAHotTinRoof'': What's left for a man [[BrokenPedestal with no one else to look up to?]]
* ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'': Clinging on to traditions and delusions in the face of the corruption of modern life.
* ''Theatre/HeddaGabler'': Freedom from societal and [[TheUnfettered moral]] constraints.
* ''Theatre/TheGlassMenagerie'': Living in a fantasy world versus living in the real one.
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': Love, and the (sometimes horrible) lengths people will go to because of it.
* ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'': The consequences of giving in to temptation and letting others dominate you.
* ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'': [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor "Wishes come true, not free."]]
* ''The Man Who Had All The Luck'': Luck's Guilt
* ''Ghosts'': The ideals of the old will come to haunt to new. Also, the sins of the father haunt the sons.
* ''The Flies'': One's true freedom starts at the absolution of guilt.
* ''Film/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' - Is man just a victim of his fate?
* ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' - The price one must pay for one's deeds.
* ''Theatre/RichardII'' - Do the ends justify the means?
* ''Theatre/HenryIV'': The relationships between fathers and sons. The clash between frivolous youth and responsible adulthood.
* ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'': Hiding away from the world.
* ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'': The fleeting nature of fame.

* ''Theatre/{{The Last Five Years}}'': Dishonesty, personal flaws, and miscommunication can tear apart relationships if left unchecked, no matter how strong the relationship may seem
* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': Ambition, impulsiveness, and legacy.
* ''Theatre/{{Dear Evan Hansen}}'': Having personal problems is no excuse to treat your loved ones badly. You are always responsible for your actions.
* ''Theatre/{{Medea}}'': A WomanScorned with nowhere to seek justice will turn to revenge.
* ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'': The UsefulNotes/AmericanRevolution was started by flawed humans, not creatures of enlightened perfection, and it was not a ForegoneConclusion in the slightest.
* ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' (2013 musical): The transformative power of imagination.
* ''Music/{{Evita}}'': The one thing showbusiness and politics have in common: showmanship.
* ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}'': High school, and on a larger scale the world, is a cruel place, but it can get better if people just stopped making fun of each other's insecurities.
* ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'': What problems you have to face (romantic crap) and what problems you can only run away from (ThoseWackyNazis).
* ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'': The dangers of letting you religious beliefs cloud your judgement, and that you should open your mind to new ideas even if you don't agree with them.
* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': People cannot be controlled.
* ''Theatre/ShrekTheMusical'': How stories interact with real life.
* ''Theatre/AChorusLine'': Musical theater, and what it means to pursue your passion.

* ''Film/CatOnAHotTinRoof'': What's left for a man [[BrokenPedestal with no one else to look up to?]]

* ''Theatre/{{DearEvanHansen}}'': Having personal problems is no excuse to treat your loved ones badly. You are always responsible for your actions.

* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': Obsession, and how it drives you mad.
** Or, according to [[WordOfGod Christopher Bond]], love, and the lengths people will go to because of it.

* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'': Good intentions can still have terrible ramifications, and that true friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places.

* ''Theatre/{{TheLastFiveYears}}'': Personal flaws and miscommunication can tear apart relationships if left unchecked, no matter how strong the relationship may seem

* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': Ambition, impulsiveness, and the idea of a legacy.

* ''HenryIV'': The relationships between fathers and sons. The clash between frivolous youth and responsible adulthood.

* ''Theatre/ShrekTheMusical'': How stories interact with real life.

* TheManWhoHadAllTheLuck: Luck's Guilt

* TheFlies: One's true freedom starts at the absolution of guilt.

* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': People cannot be controlled.

* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': Finding hope in a hopeless situation.

Remember, a CentralTheme is not the same as AnAesop; a theme is a question, idea, topic or concept that the text explores, while an Aesop is a conclusion the author reaches about the theme. As such, you should avoid phrasing your examples as conclusions.

* ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'': The dangers of letting you religious beliefs cloud your judgement, and that you should open your mind to new ideas even if you don't agree with them.

* ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'': What problems you have to face (romantic crap) and what problems you can only run away from (ThoseWackyNazis).

* ''Theatre/{{Heathers}}'': High school, and on a larger scale the world, is a cruel place, but it can get better if people just stopped making fun of each other's insecurities.

* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': The pursuit of revenge and the things one loses along the way.

* ''Theatre/KingLear'': How madness can corrupt and give wisdom.

* ''Theatre/OedipusRex'': [[ScrewDestiny Can we avoid our fate]], or [[SelfFulfillingProphecy is there only one path we can walk down?]]

* ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'': How should a man really treat a woman?

* ''HenryIV'' - How a quality of a man is measured by the company he keeps.
** The relationships between fathers and sons.