Literary
Terms
Drama
Drama is a composition in verse or prose, which
portrays life or character or tells a story, involving conflicts and emotions
through action and dialogue and typically designed for theatrical performance. In
simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in
pantomime or dialogue. Drama demonstrates the human conditions. It contains
conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of audience
on the stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a
“dramatist” or “playwright.”
History
Earliest
Classical Greek Influences
The
term 'drama' comes from an ancient Greek verb meaning 'to do' or 'to act'. The
word has evolved over time to offer different meanings since its beginning.
There were originally two types of drama: comedy and tragedy. From the 19th
century, this term actually refers to a staged theatrical performance that is
neither one nor the other. A genre of drama produced by ancient Greece was a
satire, or satyr play. Ancient Greek theater was very dramatic (almost like a
pantomime), consisting of a Greek chorus, costumes, theatrical masks, and other
ritual characteristics. The most significant playwrights of Greek tragedies are
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander. The first three
dramatists are commonly referred to as tragedians, whilst the two latter
lyricists were seen as comic writers.
Rome
was introduced to Greek drama and Greek comedy around 250 BCE, and many Romans
reworked the original plays, dividing the stories into episodes, removing the
choruses and replacing them with a musical element like an orchestra, or having
them singing. The Roman times were influenced by Greek gods and mythological
Greek culture, but Roman theatre was equally expressive of themes significant
to Rome, Sicily and society in Italy in general, as well as classical
literature and religious rites. Performances would have been composed of
Venetian masks, ceremonial dancing and stylized with a range of facial
expressions.
Hundreds
of years after the first ever creations of tragedy and comedy, Medieval Drama
brought something totally new to theatre. With the Christian Church originally
opposing theatre, seeing it as controversial, religious holiday stories and
scenarios from the Bible naturally started to be performed by leaders of the
churches, and eventually, these performances became more elaborate and moved to
other parts of the community (i.e. the stage). The Christian church originally
opposed theatre.
Elizabethan
drama developed during the Renaissance period. The first ever Elizabethan
playhouse opened around this time and plays by famous playwrights (like William
Shakespeare) were performed regularly across the country. His plays represented
comedy tragedy combined to give well-rounded performances offering something
for everyone.
Classes
were very much divided in the 18th century, and writers drew on this in their
texts. Many plays were therefore written for and about the middle class, moving
away from the outdated themes that were covered by Shakespeare and his peers.
Plays played on the battle of the sexes and were witty and humorous.
In
the 19th century, Romanticism, in Western Europe, had influenced drama.
Romantic plays began to dominate the continent, with famous writers like Faust
and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe becoming hugely popular.
Modern
drama emerged from the 20th century onwards. It developed due to further
experimentation. Music played a big part in modern drama, while realistic drama
was also increasingly popular.
Symbolist
drama took over from the outdated classical performances. Symbolist drama
became a preferred style of performing, particularly in France. This made way
for a Symbolist movement, particularly in France, in the 1880s. Chekhov and
Ibsen are good examples of masters of strong Symbolist drama.
The
Expressionist movement came about in the early 1900s and was darker and more
grotesque, exploring the depths of the human psyche, turning stage shows into
more like nightmares!
Other
forms of theatre - pioneered for example by Bertold Brecht in Germany - sought
to disassociate viewers from the emotions of the characters so that they could
focus on the theme of the play.
Finally,
contemporary playwrights of the 1960s and 70s began to focus more heavily on
language and dialogue, with Tom Stoppard for one being a very important writer
of the time. This brings us to the 21st century, and theatre as we know it
today. There are numerous 21st century dramatists and playwrights actively
writing today, yet many stage actors are still representing characters from
classical plays, at times with a modern twist. Musical theatre is also a very
prominent scene.
Types of Drama
Comedy
Examples:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Measure
for Measure, The Merchant of Venice, ……
Farce
Examples:
The Importance of Being Earnest, The Taming of the Shrew, She Stoops to Conquer,
Waiting for Godot, ……
Satirical
Examples:
Clouds, Frogs, Lysistrata, Timon of Athens, Troilus, Cressida, Hamlet, King
Lear, …
Restoration
comedy
Examples:
The Country Wife, The Man of Mode, The Way of the World, The Rover, ……
Tragedy
Examples:
Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, ......
Historical
Examples:
Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, King Lear, Cymbeline, ......
Musical
theatre
Examples:
Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Blood Brothers, The Book of
Mormon, ……
Absurd
plays
Examples:
The Long Christmas Dinner, Underground Lovers, No Exit, Waiting for Godot, The
Firebugs, Ping-Pong, ......
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