HISTORY OF DRAMA:

ANCIENT DRAMA
MEDIEVAL DRAMA
RESTORATION
18TH-CENTURY DRAMA
ANCIENT DRAMA

 Origin of western drama in the Greek Athens

 Acc. Of this period is inadequate / insufficient
(Lack of information)
 THEPSIS- developed a “new musical form”
1. Impersonate a single character (impersonator in
w/c they pretend)
2. Engage in dialogue w/ the chorus of
singer/dancer(e.g. Moulin Rouge)
 First composer (person who write music)
 Soloist (who perform a solo)
 First dramatist (playwright/writer of plays)
 Actor (who act on stage play)
Play (dramatic composition/peace)
 Known as “Tragedy”(tradition of drama who
play a unique/important role to invoke
audience)
 He became a “Father of drama”
• On the “hundred” playwrights of Greek tragic,
only “32” plays are survive by the 3 MAJOR
INNOVATORS:
▫ Sophocles
▫ Aeschylus
▫ Euripides
 AESCHYLUS- created the possibility of
developing the “conflicts” between the
character and 2nd actor
 “7 surviving play”, 3 of w/c
constitute(create/compose) the only
extant(exist) trilogy (e.g. Persian & Oresteia)
 Are richly ambiguous(several meaning) into
the paradoxical(contradiction)
 Relationship between human and cosmos
(people made an answerable fort their acts)

 Trilogy- A group of 3 related things

 Described as the Father of Tragedy
MEDIEVAL DRAMA
 A new creation rather than a rebirth
 Any form of theater: The Christian theater
 LITURGY: Interpolated(introduced) by the bits of chanted(short)
dialogue in the Easter and Christmas service
 Called TROPES(word/music into the plainsong settings of the roman
catholic liturgy)
 PRIESTS(impersonating biblical figures)
 Acted out of minuscule(short) scene from the holiday stories
 Quem Quaeritis
 refers to four lines of the
medieval Easter liturgy that
later formed the kernel of the
large body of
medieval liturgical drama.
RESTORATION
 Theaters- established in the wake of
Charles II.
 Restoration monarchy – England in
1660
 English monarchy was restored
when Charles II of england became
king in 1660.
 Intended to serve the needs of
socially, politically, aesthetically
homogenous class,
 “refined”- French influence sensibility
 The themes , language, dramaturgy of
Shakespeare play were now consider
out of date.
 During next 2 centuries, the work of
england’s greatest dramatist- never
produced intact
William Shakespeare is the greatest
English poet and dramatist and an
undisputed world figure in
literature. Although his works (37
plays, 154 sonnets and two long
poems) are well-known all over the
world, we know little about his life.
 Moliere- the English comedy of
manners
Was typically a witty(humorous),
brittle satire of current mores,
especially of relation between the
sexes.
 Jean-Baptiste Poquelin-
known by his stage name Molière
was a French playwright and actor
who is considered to be one of the
greatest masters of comedy in
Western literature.
Best - known comedies of manner
A French playwright
 Leading Example:
 She would if she could(1668)-
 The man of code(1676)- by George Etherege
 The country wife(1675)- by William Wycherley
 The way of the world(1700)- by William Congreve
 The recruiting officer(1706)-
 The Beaux Stratagem(1706)-by George Farquhar
 One of the best comedy is The way of the world(1700)- by William
Congreve.
 Like most restoration comedies it’s centered on the relationship
between the 2 sexes
 It reflect the court vision of life, lack of ideas, and dissoluteness of the
upper class.
 Had an immediate success as “the most promising young writer” of the
day.
18th CENTURY DRAMA
 A farcical comedy in england
 The comedy of manners and the domestic drama
 SATIRE-Henry Fielding and John Gay enjoyed the Brief revival of
satire
 “satire can be funny, its aim is not to amuse, but to arouse contempt”
 Henry Fielding and John Gay- the Beggar’s opera in 1728 met w/ a
phenomenal success.
 Their wit (the talent of using unexpected words or ideas to make a clever
humorous effect) was too sharp for the government w/c retaliated by
imposing strict censorship laws in 1737.
 Censorship- an official who examines books, plays, news reports,
pictures, radio and television programs, letters,etc.,
 Purpose- to suppressing parts deemed
objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds.
 Henry Fielding
 was an English novelist and dramatist
known for his rich earthy humors
and satirical prowess.(e.g. Tom Jones)
 John Gay
 was an English poet and dramatist.
He is best remembered for The
Beggar's Opera (1728), a ballad
opera. The characters, including
Captain Macheath and Polly
Peachum, became household
names.