Drama

The main components of drama typically include the following elements:

1. Plot: The plot refers to the sequence of events that form the storyline of the drama It
includes the exposition (introduction of characters and setting), rising action (development
of conflict and complications), climax (turning point or moment of highest tension), falling
action (resolution of conflict), and denouement (final outcome or conclusion).

2. Characters: Characters are the individuals who inhabit the world of the drama.
They have distinct personalities, motives, and relationships with each other. The main

characters are usually the protagonists and antagonists, who drive the conflict and action of
the story.

3.Dialogue: Dialogue is the spoken or written conversation between characters. It reveals

their thoughts, emotions, and intentions, and advances the plot. Dialogue can also convey
important information, develop relationships, and provide insight into the characters'
motivations.
4. Setting: The setting refers to the time and place in which the drama takes place. It
includes the physical environment, such as the location, scenery, and props, as well as the
cultural, historical, or social context that influences the events.

5. Theme: The theme is the underlying message or central idea of the drama. It explores
universal concepts, moral dilemmas, or societal issues. Themes can be complex and multi-
faceted, and they often prompt reflection and discussion among the audience.

6. Tone: It refers to the emotional attitude of the drama, which can range from serious and
tragic to light-hearted and comedic. It sets the overall mood and affects how the audience
perceives the story and characters.

7. Conflict: Conflict is a key component of drama, as it generates tension and drives the plot
forward. It can arise from internal struggles within characters (internal conflict) or external
obstacles they face (external conflict). Conflict can take various forms, such as man vs. man,
man vs. self, man vs. society, or man vs. nature.

8. Structure: The structure of a drama refers to its organization and arrangement of scenes
and acts. It determines the pacing, rhythm, and flow of the story. Common structures
include the three-act structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement)
and the five-act structure (used in classical tragedy).

9. Stagecraft: Stagecraft encompasses all the technical aspects of a dramatic production,

including set design, lighting, sound effects, costumes, and props. These elements
contribute to the visual and auditory experience of the audience and help create the
atmosphere and mood of the drama.

10. Catharsis: It is an emotional release experienced by the audience as they witness the
resolution of the drama's conflicts. It allows them to empathize with the characters'
struggles and gain insights into their own lives.

Çıkmış Soru
Most of the story in a is presented through dialogue and it is divided into short units of
action called scenes and larger ones called acts.

Choose the option that completes the sentence.

A) short story

B) novella
C) drama

D) novel
E) poem

Types of Drama

1. Comedy
A Lighter in tone, comedies are intended to make the audience laugh and usually come to a
happy ending. Comedies place offbeat characters in unusual situations causing them to do
and say funny things. Comedy can also be sarcastic in nature, poking fun at serious topics.
There are also several sub- genres of comedy, including romantic comedy, sentimental
comedy, a comedy of manners, and tragic comedy plays in which the characters take on
tragedy with humour in bringing serious situations to happy endings. Shakespeare's 'A
Midsummer Night's Dream' is an example of a comedy with a humorous twist.

A. Farce
Featuring exaggerated or absurd forms of comedy, a farce is a nonsensical genre of drama
in which characters intentionally overact and engage in slapstick or physical humor. It often
involves mistaken identities, misunderstandings, and fast-paced action, aiming to create
laughter through ridiculousness. Examples of farce include the movie 'Dumb and Dumber
and the hit 1980 movie 'Airplane', written by Jim Abrahams.
B. Comedy of Humours
Based on the Medieval era belief that people are ruled by various humours that control
their personalities and interactions, a comedy of humours is a character- based story. In this
type of comedy, the characters have one or two dominant traits, such as jealousy, greed, or
vanity, that rule their interactions with each other. This is not a type of comedy you see
often in modern literature and films, but its influence is part of why there are so many great
comedic characters.

C. Comedy of Manners
A comedy of manners pokes fun at the behaviours and lives of certain classes of people,
especially upper class. You see many satires that are comedies of manners. This type of
comedy has been popular for centuries, sparking such hilarious examples as the television
show Frasier, many of Oscar Wilde's plays, the plays of Noel Coward, and The Remains of
the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

D. Comedy of Menace
Comedy of menace is a play in which the laughter of the audience in some or all situations is
accompanied, or immediately followed, by a feeling of some impending disaster.
Throughout such a play, the audience feels uneasy even while laughing, because of its
perception of some threat, explicit or implicit, to the audience itself. In other words, the
audience is made aware, in the very midst of its laughter, of some menace. The menace
proceeds from potential to actual violence in the play or from an underlying sense of
violence throughout the play.

Çıkmış Soru

-is a term that denotes a kind of play in which one or more characters feel that they are
threatened by an obscure and frightening force, power, and personality. Thus, the fear
becomes a source of comedy.

Choose the option that completes the sentence.

A) Comedy of Menace

B) Comedy of Morals

C) Comedy of Manners

D) Comedy of Ideas

E) Comedy of Humours

E. Commedia Dell'arte
Comedia Dell'arte was a form of popular theatre which involves improvisations.These
improvisations were set in a firm framework of masks and stock situations, and its plots
were frequently borrowed from the classical literary tradition of literary drama. Professional
players who specialized in one role developed an unmatched comic acting technique, which
contributed to the popularity of the itinerant commedia troupes that travelled throughout
Europe.
Despite contemporary depictions of scenarios and masks and descriptions of particular
presentations, impressions today of what the commedia dell'arte was like are secondhand.
The art is a lost one, its mood and style irrecoverable

F. Romantic Comedy
Romantic comedy centers around the theme of love, and it usually has a happy ending. Two
characters meet and begin a love affair, but misunderstandings and other impediments get
in the way. You'll see this type of comedy in the work of Shakespeare, as well as in books
and many movies like When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, You've Got Mail, and others.

2. Tragedy
It is a serious and sombre form of drama that depicts the downfall of a noble or admirable
protagonist due to a character flaw, external circumstances, or fate. Tragic plays evoke
feelings of pity and fear in the audience and often explore profound and darker themes of
human suffering, morality, death and the consequences of actions in a dignified and
thought-provoking way. Rarely enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like
Shakespeare's "Hamlet", are often burdened by tragic character flaws that ultimately lead to
their demise.
A. Domestic Tragedy
Domestic tragedy is a form of drama in which the tragic protagonist are ordinary middle-
class or lower-class individuals, in contrast to classical or neoclassical tragedy, in which the
protagonist are of kingly or aristocratic rank and their downfall is an affair of state as well na
personal matter. Othello might be considered a domestic tragedy since the protagonist is
not of the royal family.

B. Revenge Tragedy

The revenge tragedy is a dramatic genre in which the protagonist seeks revenge for an
imagined or actual injury. Shakespeare's plays Hamlet, Othello and even King Lear may be
referred to as revenge tragedies but it is Titus Andronicus that truly embraces this genre.

3. Closet Drama
The term closet drama is a genre of play that is designed to be read 'in the closet' (an old
term for a small private study or reading room) rather than being performed publicly. Unlike
most dramas, which are written for the purpose of theatrical performance, closet dramas
are typically more focused on complex dialogue, introspection, and philosophical issues.
They offer a different kind of theatrical experience that is more personal and introspective.

4. Heroic Drama
 Heroic drama in literature is a term created by English poet John Dryden to describe a type
of play popular during the 1660s, referring to both its subject matter and its verse form. The
term 'Heroic' does not only refer to the genre's favoured subject matter, it also refers to its
form. Heroic dramas were written using heroic verse, used typically in epic poems. In
adopting this verse form, writers attempted to emulate the great scale of epic poems,
lending heroic dramas an impressive sense of gravity, importance and extravagance by
association.

5. History / Chronicle Play

Chronicle plays are a genre of drama with a theme from history consisting usually of loosely
connected episodes chronologically arranged, Plays of this type typically lay emphasis on the
public welfare by pointing to the past as a lesson for present.

6. Interlude
An interlude was typically a short dramatic piece, often comic in nature, placed between
more serious material. It began during the Middle Ages as a form of lighthearted stuffing
(hence interlude) between miracle and morality plays, These were typically short satires or
farces. There is even evidence of interludes being used as propaganda in times of religious
conflict.
7. Masque
The masque was a kind of dramatic entertainment popular in the age of Shakespeare. It
was called a Masque or Masquerade because the actors wore masks or vizards on their
faces. In the beginning, it was merely a series of dances which also illustrated some story, as
if in dumb show, but gradually it came to be a play with a good deal of music, dancing and
scenic display. Ben Johnson was its chief exponent and the masques penned by him are still
good entertainment.

8. Melodrama
An exaggerated form of drama, melodramas depict classic one-dimensional characters such
as heroes, heroines, and villains dealing with sensational, romantic, and often perilous
situations. Sometimes called "tearjerkers, examples of melodramas include the play 'The
Glass Menagerie' by Tennessee Williams and the classic movie of love during the Civil War,
Gone With the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell's novel.

9. Docudrama
A relatively new genre, docudramas are dramatic portrayals of historic events or non-
fictional situations. More often presented in movies and television than in live theatre,
popular examples of docudramas include the movies 'Apollo 13 and 12 Years a Slave', based
on the autobiography written by Solomon Northup
10. Musical Drama
Musical dramas refer to plays in which characters engage in dialogue but also include scenes
in which the passion of the character is so great he expresses. himself in song. Andrew Lloyd
Weber's The Phantom of the Opera' is a well- known example of a musical drama that tells
the story of obsession.

11. Absurdist Drama

It is a form of theatre that emerged in the mid-20th century and is characterized by its
exploration of the absurdity and meaninglessness of the human condition. It is often
associated with existential philosophy and is known for its departure from traditional
narrative structures and logical coherence. Absurdist plays typically present a sense of
confusion, illogical situations, and a lack of clear meaning, challenging conventional notions
of reality and identity. One of the most well-known playwrights associated with the
absurdist movement is Samuel Beckett, particularly his play 'Waiting for Godot. Other
notable absurdist playwrights include Eugene lonesco, Jean Genet, and Harold Pinter.

12. Mystery Play

 Mystery plays, usually representing biblical subjects, developed from plays presented in
Latin by churchmen on church premises and depicted such subjects as the Creation, Adam
and Eve, the murder of Abel, and the Last Judgment.

13. Miracle Play

Miracle plays, also known as Saint's Plays, were plays dedicated to the lives of various
saints, rather than biblical events. Just like Mystery plays, the miracle plays originated to
enhance the liturgical services, and were later separated from the church. They were
switched to the English language and became more secular. Most Miracle plays are
performed about either St. Nicholas or the Virgin Mary.

14. Morality Play

Morality play is a genre in medieval and early Tudor drama. The term is used by scholars of
literary and dramatic history to refer to a genre of play texts from the 14h-16th centuries
that feature personified concepts alongside angels and demons, who are engaged in a
struggle to persuade a protagonist who represents a generic human character toward either
good or evil. The common story arc of these plays follows 'the temptation, the fall and
redemption of the protagonist. Most commonly known example of this type of play is
Everyman.

15. Problem Play

Problem play is a type of drama that developed in the 19th century to deal with
controversial social issue such as prostitution, business ethics, illegitimacy and female
emancipation in a realistic manner, to expose social ills, and to stimulate thought and
discussion on the part of the audience. The genre had its beginnings in the work of the
French dramatists.

16. Sentimental Comedy

Sentimental comedy was a popular genre in the 17th and 18th centuries that explored the
trials of middle class characters and their methods of overcoming those challenges. Instead
of making readers and viewers laugh, this type of comedy was designed to make them cry.
However, the story was a happy one. Some of the dramedies of today may fit loosely in this
category, but it is much more common in literature from the 1600s and 1700s.

17. Tragicomedy
Actually, a form of drama, tragicomedy mixes humour and tragedy together in surprising
ways. Most tragicomedies feature surprise endings, and almost all endings are happy. Tragic
events weave their way through these stories, just as they do in real life. Some classic
examples include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Forrest Gump, and American Beauty.