DRAMA INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES DRAMA l Drama is

DRAMA INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES

DRAMA l Drama is a species of literature whose basic medium is spoken language. l Drama can be read, somewhat like a poem or novel. l But the word “drama” comes from the Greek word meaning “act. ”

Drama l Drama is spoken language acted, to be produced for public exhibition, usually upon a stage. l Drama as a complete work of art exists in the presentation.

Aristotle and the Elements of Drama l Much of what modern commentators say about drama goes back to theories Aristotle put forth in his Poetics. l His ideas were interpreted as rules. l They interpreted tragedy as a serious action whose consequences reached sometimes as far as the gods.

l The rules devised in the eighteenth century (and earlier) insisted on the “unities”: that there be only one plot in a tragedy, l That the action should take place in one locale, that it should be completed in one day, and that the main character should display a unity of behavior.

l Aristotle felt that tragedy evoke or ought to evoke two emotions from the audience: l Pity and fear l Pity was sympathy for the tragic hero; l Fear was the awareness that such a fate could be fall anyone.

THE IMITATION OF LIFE l No other art comes closer to life and hence drama, more than any other art. l This led Aristotle to his theory of art as the imitation of nature – nature being life in general not just outdoors.

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA l Drama uses the resources of theater to show human action in such a way that we gain deeper understanding of human experience. l The basic elements of drama are action, character, setting, and ideas. l Action is the plot or ongoing business of the characters – what they strive for, what they expect to see happen.

l Character is either developed or flat, l Either individuated or typed, either psychological or symbolic. l Setting is either established explicitly and reproduced on stage with realistic or expressionist sets, l Or it is hinted at and suggested.

l Archetypal drama aims at symbolic or mythic interpretations of experience. l For instance, one’s search for personal identity, since it seems to be a pattern repeated in all ages, can serve as a primary archetypal structure for drama.

GENRES OF DRAMA: TRAGEDY l Carefully structured plots were favored by Aristotle, and are usually essential in tragedies. l But for the best tragedies, according to Aristotle, the action must also arise from the searching of a noble character. l The strengths and flaws of the protagonist l Must be factors contributing to the dramatic outcome.

l But when we turn to the great tragedies that most define the genre, we think immediately of great characters: Oedipus; Agamemnon; Prometheus: Hamlet: Macbeth… l In most modern tragedies, such as O’Neil’s Desire Under the Elms and Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the characters still remain at the center of the drama.

COMEDY: OLD AND NEW l Old Comedy is associated with our modern farce, burlesque, and the broad humor and make-believe violence of slapstick. l New Comedy is suave and subtle. l New Comedy developed type characters, such as the gruff and difficult man who turns out to have a hear of gold, the good cop, the bad cop…

TRAGICOMEDY: THE MIXED GENRE The tragic mask with a downturned mouth, and the comic mask with an upturned mouth hang on the wall of many stages. l If there were a third mask, it would probably have an expression of bewilderment as is someone had just asked a totally unanswerable question. l Mixing the genres of tragedy and comedy in a drama may give such a feeling. l

EXPERIMENTAL DRAMA l The last forty years have seen exceptional experimentation in drama in the Western world. l Another important thrust of experimental drama has been to assault the audience.

SUMMARY l The subject matter of drama is the human condition as represented by action. l By emphasizing plot and character as the most important elements of drama, Aristotle helps us understand the priorities of all drama. l Some archetypes seem related to the natural rhythms of the seasons and focus,

Summary cont’d l Comedy has several distinct genres. l Old Comedy often abuses individual characters and revels in broad humor. l New Comedy emphasizes the comedy of manners, a social commentary that often depends on type characters. l Tragicomedy combines both genres to create a third genre. l -30 -