DRAMA OVERVIEW

 MORE THAN ANY OTHER LITERARY

FORM, DRAMA IS A VISUAL & COL-

LABORATIVE MEDIUM, DESIGNED

TO BE PERFORMED BY ACTORS IN

FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE.
DRAMA OVERVIEW

 GENERALLY SPEAKING, DRAMA IS

MORE DOMINATED BY DIALOGUE

THAN ARE FICTION & POETRY.

 DRAMA OVERVIEW

 A PLAY (THE COMMON TERM FOR A

DRAMATIC COMPOSITION) ALSO HAS
A NUMBER OF DISTINGUISHING CON-
VENTIONAL ELEMENTS (DIVISION IN-
TO ACTS & SCENES, STAGE DIREC-
TIONS, A LIST OF CHARACTERS, AND
OTHERS).
ORIGINS OF DRAMA

 WESTERN DRAMA ORIGINATED IN

ANCIENT GREECE. THE WORD

DRAMA ITSELF COMES FROM THE

GREEK DRAN—MEANING TO DO,

TO ACT.
 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES BEGINNING

AROUND 530 B.C.E., PLAYWRIGHTS

COMPETED DURING RELIGIOUS FES-

TIVALS RELATING TO DIONYSUS,

GOD OF WINE & FERTILITY.

 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 PLAYS CAME TO BE PERFORMED IN

LARGE OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATERS.

(THE WORD THEATER COMES FROM

THE GREEK WORDS FOR “SEEING

PLACE.”)
GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 ACTORS WORE STYLIZED MASKS

THAT SYMBOLIZED THEIR CHARAC-

TERISTICS.
 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 ANOTHER CONVENTION OF GREEK

DRAMA WAS THE CHORUS, WHICH

DANCED & SANG BETWEEN SCENES IN
THE ORCHESTRA (THE ROUND AREA
AT THE FOOT OF THE AMPHITHEA-
TER).
 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 THE CHORUS REPRESENTED THE

VALUES OF THE COMMUNITY, AND

ITS SCENE-ENDING ODES PROVIDED

COMMENTARY ON THE PLAY AND

CLUES TO WHAT WAS TO COME.

 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 ANOTHER CONVENTION WAS THE

DEUS EX MACHINA (“GOD FROM

THE MACHINE”)—AN ELABORATE
MECHANISM FOR LOWERING ACTORS
PLAYING THE ROLES OF GODS ONTO
THE STAGE.
 GREEK DRAMA (cont.)

 THE MOST IMPORTANT GREEK PLAY-

WRIGHT WAS SOPHOCLES, AUTHOR

OF OEDIPUS REX, CONSIDERED BY

MANY TO BE THE MOST INFLUENTIAL

DRAMA EVER WRITTEN.

 ROMAN DRAMA
 THOUGH ROMAN DRAMA BASICALLY
ADAPTED THE CONVENTIONS OF
GREEK DRAMA, THE PLAYWRIGHT
SENECA (1ST CENTURY C.E.) HAD A BIG
INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE 5-ACT PLAY & THE REVENGE
TRAGEDIES (E.G., HAMLET) OF ELIZA-
BETHAN ENGLAND.
 MEDIEVAL DRAMA

 DURING THE MIDDLE AGES (500-1350)

THE CLASSICAL TRADITION WAS LOST,
AND PLAYS BECAME VEHICLES FOR
RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION. THE TWO
MOST COMMON TYPES OF PLAYS
WERE MIRACLE PLAYS & MORALI-
TY PLAYS.
 MEDIEVAL DRAMA (cont.)

 MIRACLE PLAYS DRAMATIZED BIBLE

STORIES OR THE LIFE & MARTYRDOM

OF A SAINT.
 MEDIEVAL DRAMA (cont.)

 MORALITY PLAYS (SUCH AS THE 15TH-

CENTURY EVERYMAN) DRAMATIZED
ALLEGORIES OF THE CHRISTIAN SOUL
IN QUEST OF SALVATION & EMPLOYED
PERSONIFIED ABSTRACTIONS SUCH
AS SHAME, LUST, MERCY, ETC. AS
CHARACTERS.
 ELIZABETHAN DRAMA

 AFTER ITS BIRTH IN ANCIENT GREECE,

DRAMA’S NEXT GREAT PERIOD OF

DEVELOPMENT WAS IN ENGLAND DUR-

ING THE REIGNS OF QUEEN ELIZABETH

(1558-1603) & KING JAMES I (1603-1625).

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 EXEMPLIFIED BY THE PLAYS OF WM.

SHAKESPEARE, DEALING LARGELY

W/ THE ACTIONS, INTRIGUES, & RO-

MANCES OF KINGS, QUEENS, & OTHER

HIGHBORN CHARACTERS.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 AS IN GREEK DRAMA, NO WOMEN

WERE ALLOWED ON THE STAGE.

 PLAYS OFTEN BLENDED ACTION,

HUMOR, & VIOLENCE W/ POETRY &

PHILOSOPHICAL INSIGHTS.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 EARLY PLAYS WERE PERFORMED IN

INNYARDS & OPEN SPACES BETWEEN

BUILDINGS.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 THEATERS WERE CIRCULAR & ONLY

PARTLY ROOFED, WITH THE AUDI-

ENCE ON THE SIDES AS WELL AS IN

FRONT OF THE RAISED STAGE.

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 THEATERS HELD UP TO 2500 PEOPLE

IN AN INTIMATE SETTING, INCLUDING

500-800 GROUNDLINGS (COMMON-

ERS WHO STOOD IN THE “PIT” AT THE

FOOT OF THE STAGE).

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 THOUGH SCENERY & PROPS WERE

LIMITED, COSTUMES & SOUND EF-

FECTS WERE QUITE ELABORATE.

ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 STAGES INCLUDED A SECOND-LEVEL

BALCONY, DOORS AT THE BACK FOR

ENTRANCES & EXITS, A CURTAINED
ALCOVE, AND A TRAP DOOR IN THE
STAGE FLOOR FOR THE ENTRANCES &
EXITS OF SPIRITS.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 ONE CONVENTION WAS THE ASIDE:

COMMENTS DIRECTED ONLY TO THE
AUDIENCE THAT MAKE THEM PRIVY
TO A CHARACTER’S THOUGHTS &
THAT ALLOW THEM TO PERCEIVE
IRONIES & INTRIGUES UNKNOWN TO
OTHER CHARACTERS.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 ANOTHER CONVENTION WAS THE

SOLILOQUY (FROM THE LATIN FOR

“TALKING TO ONESELF”).
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 A SOLILOQUY, WHICH IS NOT PART OF

THE DIALOGUE OF THE PLAY, IS A

SPEECH DELIVERED BY A LONE ACTOR
ON THE STAGE FOR THE PURPOSE OF
REVEALING HIS OR HER THOUGHTS,
MOTIVES, & INNER NATURE.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS SOLI-

LOQUY IS HAMLET’S “TO BE OR NOT

TO BE” SPEECH.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)
 IN ELIZABETHAN DRAMA, THE CHOR-
US OF GREEK DRAMA EVOLVED INTO
A PERSON WHO SOMETIMES SPOKE
THE PROLOGUE & EPILOGUE OF A
PLAY, PROVIDING AUTHORIAL COM-
MENTARY AS WELL AS EXPOSITION
REGARDING THE SUBJECT, TIME, SET-
TING, ETC. OF THE PLAY.
ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (cont.)

 SOME PLAYS HAVE WHAT IS CALLED

A CHORAL CHARACTER (E.G., THE

FOOL IN KING LEAR) WHO STANDS

APART FROM & COMMENTS ON THE

ACTION OF THE PLAY.

MODERN DRAMA

 THE MOST POPULAR FORM OF DRAMA

IN THE 19TH CENTURY, ESPECIALLY IN

THE U.S. & ENGLAND, WAS MELO-

DRAMA.
 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)

 MELODRAMAS ARE LOVE STORIES &

ACTION-PACKED, INTRIGUE-FILLED

PLOTS W/ HAPPY ENDINGS & FLAT,

STEREOTYPED CHARACTERS REPRE-

SENTING EXTREMES OF GOOD & EVIL.

 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)

 THE LATE 19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTU-

RIES SAW THE RISE OF REALISM,

WHICH PRESENTS THE CRISES AND
CONFLICTS OF ORDINARY PEOPLE’S
EVERYDAY LIVES (WORK, FAMILY,
RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.).
 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)

 THE PICTURE-FRAME STAGE BECAME

THE NORM, OFTEN REPRODUCING

SETTINGS IN REALISTIC DETAIL.

 SCENERY & PROPS ARE IMPORTANT.

 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)

 FOUR-ACT PLAYS BECAME THE NORM,

AND CONVENTIONS SUCH AS ASIDES

& SOLILOQUIES FELL INTO DISUSE.

 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)

 THE 20TH CENTURY ALSO SAW THE

RISE OF THE THEATER OF THE AB-

SURD, W/ ITS SEEMINGLY UNINTELL-

IGIBLE PLOTS & IRRATIONAL BEHAV-

IOR.
 MODERN DRAMA (cont.)
 IN WAITING FOR GODOT, FOR IN-
STANCE, TWO TRAMPS AMUSE THEM-
SELVES W/ AIMLESS CONVERSATION
& MEANINGLESS ACTIVITY WHILE
WAITING IN A WASTE PLACE FOR A
PERSON NAMED GODOT WHO NEVER
COMES (AND WHO MAY OR MAY NOT
EXIST).
MAJOR TYPES OF DRAMA

 TRAGEDY FOCUSES ON LIFE’S SOR-

ROWS & DIFFICULTIES, RECOUNTING
A SERIES OF IMPORTANT EVENTS IN
THE LIFE OF A SIGNIFICANT PERSON,
TREATED W/ SERIOUSNESS & DIGNI-
TY, AND CULMINATING IN AN UNHAP-
PY CATASTROPHE.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 THE BASIC STRUCTURE & PURPOSE OF

TRAGEDY WERE FIRST DEFINED IN

ARISTOTLE’S POETICS.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE, A TRAG-

IC HERO IS A GREAT MAN OR WO-

MAN WHO SUFFERS A REVERSAL OF
FORTUNE (LIKE OEDIPUS IN OEDIPUS
REX) B/C OF A WEAKNESS, ERROR IN
JUDGMENT, OR ACCIDENT.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 ARISTOTLE CALLED THIS ERROR ETC.

HAMARTIA, WHICH DURING THE

RENAISSANCE EVOLVED INTO THE

CONCEPT OF THE TRAGIC FLAW.

 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 ARISTOTLE ALSO SAID THAT WATCH-

ING THE HERO’S DOWNFALL (THE

CATASTROPHE) AND SEEING THE

DRAMA’S RESOLUTION (RESTORA-

TION OF ORDER), . . .
TRAGEDY (cont.)

. . . THE AUDIENCE EXPERIENCES A

CATHARSIS—I.E., RELIEF FROM THE
TENSIONS OF THE PLAY (A PURGING
OF “PITY AND FEAR”) AND A SENSE OF
HAVING GAINED INSIGHT, ENLIGHT-
ENMENT.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 TRAGIC HEROES AROUSE PITY B/C

THEY ARE NOT EVIL & B/C THEIR MIS-
FORTUNE EXCEEDS WHAT THEY DE-
SERVE; THEY AROUSE FEAR B/C THE
AUDIENCE RECOGNIZES THEMSELVES
IN THE HERO & THE POSSIBILITY OF A
SIMILAR FATE.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 PLAYS FROM ELIZABETHAN TO MOD-

ERN TIMES HAVE DEVIATED GREATLY

FROM THE ARISTOTELIAN NORM. FOR

EXAMPLE, SOMETIMES THE HERO IS

NOT A GOOD PERSON (MACBETH).

 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 ALSO, AFTER THE 18TH CENTURY, TRAG-

IC HEROES BEGAN TO BE DRAWN FROM
THE MIDDLE & LOWER CLASSES IN
WHAT ARE CALLED DOMESTIC TRAG-
EDIES, THUS LAYING THE FOUNDA-
TION FOR MODERN DRAMAS LIKE
DEATH OF A SALESMAN.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 COMIC RELIEF WAS ALSO INTRO-

DUCED INTO TRAGEDIES, AND THE

GENRE OF TRAGICOMEDY (ESSENTIAL-

LY A TRAGEDY W/ A HAPPY ENDING)

EVOLVED.
 TRAGEDY (cont.)

 SINCE MODERN TRAGEDIES DO NOT

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE CONVENTIONS

OF CLASSICAL TRAGEDY, SOME CRIT-
ICS ARGUE THAT THEY ARE NOT TRUE
TRAGEDIES & THAT THEIR PROTAGO-
NISTS NOT TRAGIC HEROES.
 COMEDY

 A COMEDY IS A PLAY OF A LIGHT,

AMUSING NATURE IN WHICH CHAR-

ACTERS OVERCOME ADVERSITY TO
ACHIEVE SUCCESS & A HAPPY END-
ING, OFTEN IN THE FORM OF MAR-
RIAGE.
COMEDY (cont.)

 PROBLEMS ARE EITHER NOT VERY

SERIOUS OR ARE TREATED IN A

LIGHT-HEARTED MANNER, CONVEY-
ING THE SENSE THAT NO GREAT DIS-
ASTER WILL BEFALL THE CHARAC-
TERS.
 COMEDY (cont.)

 THE DISTINCTION IS OFTEN MADE BE-

TWEEN LOW COMEDY (WHICH IS

CRUDE, PHYSICAL, EVEN VIOLENT) &
HIGH COMEDY (WHICH IS MORE
THOUGHTFUL & INTELLECTUAL IN ITS
APPEAL).
 COMEDY (cont.)

 IN ROMANTIC COMEDY, LOVERS

MUST ENDURE HUMOROUS TRIALS &

TRIBULATIONS EN ROUTE TO A LIFE
OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER (A MID-
SUMMER’S MIGHT DREAM, SLEEP-
LESS IN SEATTLE).
 COMEDY (cont.)

 A COMEDY OF MANNERS IS A SAT-

IRICAL PORTRAYAL OF THE CONVEN-

TIONS & MANNERS OF A SOCIETY,

USUALLY THE DOMINANT ONE AT THE

TIME A PLAY IS WRITTEN.

 COMEDY (cont.)

 THE COMEDY OF MANNERS DELIGHTS

IN THE FAULTS & FOIBLES OF HUMAN-

ITY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IS MORE

REALISTIC & CRITICAL THAN ROMAN-

TIC COMEDY.
 COMEDY (cont.)

 THE COMEDY OF MANNERS WAS HIGH-

LY DEVELOPED IN THE LATE 17TH CEN-

TURY IN WITTY PLAYS THAT EXPOSED
THE HYPOCRITICAL CONVENTIONS &
RIDICULOUS ARTIFICIALITIES OF HIGH
SOCIETY.
 COMEDY (cont.)

 THE COMEDY OF MANNERS EVOLVED

INTO SATIRIC COMEDY, WHICH

RIDICULES THE VAIN & FOOLISH,
TREATING THEM W/ SARCASM &
MAKING THEM SEEM LUDICROUS &
REPULSIVE.
 COMEDY (cont.)

 ANOTHER POPULAR FORM OF COM-

EDY IS FARCE, WHICH PRESENTS
EXAGGERATED CHARACTER TYPES IN
IMPROBABLE OR LUDICROUS SITUA-
TIONS, AND EMPLOYS SEXUAL MIX-
UPS, BROAD VERBAL HUMOR, & A LOT
OF ANTIC PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.