What is drama????

1. Definition : a literary composition that tells a story, usually of human conflict, by means of dialogue and action, to be performed by actors; play; now often specif., any play that is not a comedy. the art or profession of writing, acting in, or producing plays. plays collectively: Elizabethan drama.

Types of Drama

Tragedy- a play written in a serious, sometimes impressive or elevated style, in which things go wrong and cannot be set right except at great cost or sacrifice.  Aristotle said that tragedy should purge our emotions by evoking pity and fear (or compassion and awe) in us, the spectators.

The tragic pattern: 1. a theme of fatal passion (excluding love) as a primary motive

2. an outstanding personality as center of conflict (classical tragedy demanded a “noble” character)

3. a vital weakness within the hero’s character (his tragic flaw which precipitates the tragedy)

4. the conflict within the hero is the source of tragedy.  However, since Nietzsche, the tragic flaw is often found to be in the universe itself, or in man’s relationship to it, rather than in the hero himself.

Comedy- a play written in a kindly or humorous, perhaps bitter or satiric vein, in which the problems or difficulties of the characters are resolved satisfactorily, if not for all characters, at least from the point of view of the audience.  Low characters as opposed to noble; characters not always changed by the action of the play; based upon observation of life.  Comedy and tragedy are concerned more with character, whereas farce and melodrama are concerned more with plot.

Melodrama- a play in which the characters are types rather than individuals, the story and situations exaggerated to the point of improbability or sensationalism and the language and emotion over-emphasized

Farce- a comedy in which story, character, and especially situations are exaggerated to the point of improbability; the situation begins with a highly improbable premise, but when that is accepted everything that follows is completely logical.  Fast moving; uses such theatrical devices as duplications, reversals, repetitions, surprises, disguises, chance encounters, often many doors and closets.

Tragic Comedy or Drama- a play with the sincerity and earnestness of tragedy but without its inevitability of impending disaster, and with the kindly and tolerant attitude of comedy but without its underlying spirit of humour; uses tense situations and moments of extreme conflict, but the tragedy is averted and transcended.

Other kinds of plays- 1.Classical tragic-comedy; noble characters but happy ending.

                                   2. Classical comic-tragedy; low characters but ends badly

                                   3. Satire

                                   4. Vaudeville

                                   5. Mime

                                   6. Propaganda plays (or didactic drama)

The history of the drama (dramatic literature) might be seen as a constant alteration between the two poles of the classic mode and the romantic mode.

The history of theatre (performance of drama) might be seen as a constant alteration between the two poles of stylized presentation and realistic representation.  Below is one interpretation of the relative positions of certain artistic movements in the theatre on a continuum between theatricality and realism:

theatrical                     1. Constructivism           5. Romanticism                    actualistic

presentational              2. Surrealism                  6. Realism                          representational

nonillusionistic            3. Expressionism            7. Naturalism                        illusionistic

stylized, frankly          4. Symbolism                                                    realistic, creating the    artificial                                                                                                 illusion of reality