Drama Overview

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.