History of English Drama
What is drama ?
'Drama is a composition in a verse or prose to be acted on the stage in which a story is related by means of dialogue and action in is represented with, accompanying gesture, costume and scenery as in real life.
_ Shorter Oxford Dictionary
'Drama is a composition designed for performers in the theatre in which actors take the roles of the characters,perform the indicated action and utter the written dialogue'.
_ A Glossary of Literary Terms by M.H.Abrams
The elements of drama
Modern Theatre
Modern theatre with its picture frame stage
Actress taking female parts
moveable scenery
artificial lights
influence of France in theatre ,audience and themes
Ibsen great Norwegian dramatist dominates the modern Drama.
( Dolls House, Ghosts, An enemy of the people)
George Bernard Shaw
Oscar Wilde
Lady Gregory
W.B.Yeats
T.S. Eliot
John Osborne
Kingsley
Antony Chekhov
Arther Miller
Samuel Beckett
INDIAN THEATRE
Start with Sanskrit drama
Mahabhasya by Patanjali
Natyashastra by Bharat Muni
What is drama ?
'Drama is a composition in a verse or prose to be acted on the stage in which a story is related by means of dialogue and action in is represented with, accompanying gesture, costume and scenery as in real life.
_ Shorter Oxford Dictionary
'Drama is a composition designed for performers in the theatre in which actors take the roles of the characters,perform the indicated action and utter the written dialogue'.
_ A Glossary of Literary Terms by M.H.Abrams
The elements of drama
- Plot
- characterization
- dialogue
- settings
- stage directions
- conflict
- theme
The four closely related area of focus are
1.The focus of the scene.
2. The focus of the audience.
3. The focus of the character.
4. The focus of the actor.
Types of Drama:
1. Tragedy.
2. Comedy
- Romantic comedy
- Sentimental comedy
- Classical comedy
- Comedy of humour
- Comedy of manners
3.Tragic Comedy
Introduction to English theatre
- Drama has its origin in a folk theatre.
- Romans were established vast amphitheatre for the production of plays in England.
- Between the 13th and 14th century drama started having themes separated from religion.
Elizabethan and Restoration theatre.
1.Secular morality plays have a direct link with Elizabeth plays.
2.The plays had nothing to do with religion.
3.There were examples of comedy and tragedy.
4.
Thomas Kyd,
Christopher Marlowe
and William Shakespeare are the prime dramatist of this era.
5. With civil wars no theatre existed between 1642 to 1660.
6. Charles II came back with Restoration in 1660 and theatre reopened.
7. Comedy in early 18th century declined in to sentimentalism.
8. Georgr Etherges comedy of manners.
9.Oliver Goldsmith
and Richard Sheridan.
2.The plays had nothing to do with religion.
3.There were examples of comedy and tragedy.
4.
Thomas Kyd,
Christopher Marlowe
and William Shakespeare are the prime dramatist of this era.
5. With civil wars no theatre existed between 1642 to 1660.
6. Charles II came back with Restoration in 1660 and theatre reopened.
7. Comedy in early 18th century declined in to sentimentalism.
8. Georgr Etherges comedy of manners.
9.Oliver Goldsmith
and Richard Sheridan.
Modern Theatre
Modern theatre with its picture frame stage
Actress taking female parts
moveable scenery
artificial lights
influence of France in theatre ,audience and themes
Ibsen great Norwegian dramatist dominates the modern Drama.
( Dolls House, Ghosts, An enemy of the people)
George Bernard Shaw
Oscar Wilde
Lady Gregory
W.B.Yeats
T.S. Eliot
John Osborne
Kingsley
Antony Chekhov
Arther Miller
Samuel Beckett
INDIAN THEATRE
Start with Sanskrit drama
Mahabhasya by Patanjali
Natyashastra by Bharat Muni
