DRAMA

Drama comes from Greek words dran meaning "to do" or "to act." It also referred to
as play.
It is a prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story that was
intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the
dialogue and action and a serious narrative work or program for television, radio, or the
cinema.
Kinds of Drama

1. Comedy
2. Tragic
3. Tragicomedy
Comedy
a universal form of expression and a major dramatic genre that is intended to amuse.
often associated with humorous behavior, wordplay, pleasurable feeling, release of tension, and
laughter. Imbued with a playful spirit, comic entertainment frequently exposes incongruous,
ridiculous, or grotesque aspects of human nature.
It generally follows a fixed pattern of theatrical surprises that leads to a sense of exhilaration in
the spectator. Of all dramatic genres, comedy is the most widely performed.
Tragic
dramatic genre that presents the heroic or moral struggle of an individual, culminating in his
or her ultimate defeat, tragic plays appear chiefly in societies that maintain a fixed hierarchy of
political and religious beliefs. Only when spectators share with the playwright a particular social
vision and system of class-based values can they empathize with the fall of the protagonist
(central character) from an elevated position into bleak despair or annihilation.
Tragicomedy
drama that contains elements of tragedy and comedy. One example of tragicomedies is
English playwright William Shakespeare's so-called reconciliation plays, such as The Winter's
Tale (1610), which reach a tragic climax but then lighten to a happy conclusion.
A tragicomedy is the usual form for plays in the tradition of the theater of theabsurd.
TYPES OF DRAMA

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Comedy
Tragedy
Farce
Melodrama
Musical

Comedy

refer to plays that are light in tone, and that typically have happy endings. The
intent of a comedic play is to make the audience laugh. In modern theater, there are
many different styles of comedy, ranging from realistic stories, where the humor is
derived from real-life situations, to outrageous slapstick humor.
Tragedy

Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama;

Tragedy usually involves serious subject matter and the death of one or more main
characters. These plays rarely have a happy ending.

Farce

Farce is a sub-category of comedy, characterized by greatly exaggerated

characters and situations. Characters tend to be one-dimensional and often follow
stereotypical behavior. Farces typically involve mistaken identities, lots of physical
comedy and outrageous plot twists.

Melodrama

Melodrama is another type of exaggerated drama. As in farce, the characters

tend to be simplified and one-dimensional. The formulaic storyline of the classic
melodrama typically involves a villain a heroine, and a hero who must rescue the
heroine from the villain.

Musical
In musical theater, the story is told not only through dialogue and acting but through music
and dance. Musicals are often comedic, although many do involve serious subject matter.
Most involve a large cast and lavish sets and costumes.
Forms of Drama

1. Opera
2. Pantomime
3. Creative Drama
Opera

Opera is a dramatic art form, which arose during the Renaissance.Drama in which the text is set
to music and staged. The texts of operas are sung, with singing and stage action nearly always
given instrumental accompaniment.

Pantomime
is an art of dramatic representation by means of facial expressions and body movements rather
than words. Pantomime, or mime, has always played a part in theater.
Pantomime, or dumb show, was essential to commedia dell'arte, an improvised comedy that
arose in 16th-century Italy and spread throughout Europe.
Creative Drama
includes dramatic activities and games used primarily in educational settings with children.

http://www.slideshare.net/NoelParohinog/teaching-of-literature-drama
Examples of Drama from Literature
Example 1
Comedy:
Much Ado About Nothing is the most frequently performed Shakespearian comedy. The
play is romantically funny in that love between Hero and Claudio is laughable, as they
never even get a single chance to communicate on-stage until they get married. Their
relationship lacks development and depth. They end up merely as caricatures,
exemplifying what people face in life when their relationships are internally weak. Love
ove between Benedick and Beatrice is amusing, as initially their communications are
very sparky, and they hate each other. However, they all of sudden make up, and start
loving each other.
Example 2
Tragedy:
Sophocles mythical and immortal drama, Oedipus Rex, is thought to be his best
classical tragedy. Aristotle has adjudged this play as one of the greatest examples of
tragic drama in his book, Poetics by giving following reasons:
The play arouses emotions of pity and fear, and achieves the tragic katharsis.
It shows the downfall of an extraordinary man of high rank, Oedipus.

The central character suffers due to his tragic error called hamartia; as he murders his
real father, Laius, and then marries his real mother, Jocasta.
Hubris is the cause of Oedipus downfall.
Example 3
Farce:
Oscar Wildes play, The Importance of Being Earnest ,is a very popular example of
Victorian farce. In this play, a man uses two identities; one as a serious person Jack (his
actual name) that he uses for Cesily, his ward, and as a rogue named Ernest for his
beloved woman, Gwendolyn. Unluckily, Gwendolyn loves him partially because she
loves the name Ernest. It is when Jack and Earnest must come on-stage together for
Cesily, then Algernon comes in to play Earnest role, and ward immediately falls in love
with another Ernest. Thus, two young women think that they love the same man an
occurrence that amuses the audience.
Example 4
Melodrama:
The Heiress is based on Henry James novel the Washington Square. Directed for stage
performance byWilliam Wyler, this play shows an ungraceful and homely daughter of a
domineering and rich doctor falling in love with a young man, Morris Townsend wishes
to elope with him, but he leaves her in lurch. Author creates melodrama towards the
end, when Catherine teaches a lesson to Morris and leaves him instead.
Function of Drama
Drama is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can directly speak to
their readers or audience as well as they can receive instant feedback of audience. A
few dramatists use their characters as a vehicle to convey their thoughts, values such
as poets do with personas, and novelists do with narrators. Since drama uses spoken
words and dialogues, thus language of characters plays a vital role, as it may give clues
to their feelings, personalities, backgrounds, and change in feelings, etc. In drama the
characters live out a story without any comments of the author, providing the audience a
direct presentation of characters life experiences.
http://literarydevices.net/drama/