DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF DRAMA

WHAT IS DRAMA?
Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and
performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some
action. Drama is also a type of a play written for theater, television, radio, and
film. In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a
story in pantomime or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly
the ones who perform in front of audience on the stage. The person who writes
drama for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The

term comes from a Greek word meaning “action”, which is derived from the
verb meaning “to do” or “to act”. The enactment of drama in theatre, performed
by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of
production and a collective form of reception. The structure of dramatic texts,
unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative
production and collective reception.

Define drama in literature: In summation, a drama is a work of literature

written for the intended purpose of being performed for an audience. Dramas
are written in the form of a script and actors perform interpretations of the
characters involved in order to tell the story the viewers versus reading a story
in novel form.

TYPES OF DRAMA
(a) Tragedy: Tragedy is one of the oldest form of drama; however, its meaning
has changed since the earliest days of staged plays. In ancient times, a tragedy
was often an historical dramas featuring The downfall of a great man. In
modern theater, the definition is a bit looser. Tragedy usually involves serious
subject matter and the death of one or more main characters. These plays rarely
have a happy ending.

(b) Comedy: When we talk about comedy, we usually 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 humour is derived
from real-life situations, to outrageous slapstick humour.

(c) 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 behaviour. Farces typically involve mistaken
identities, lots of physical comedy and outrageous plot twists. Examples of
farce include the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and the hit 1980
movie Airplane!, written by Jim Abrahams.

(d) Tragic-comedy: Tragic comedy is a play that starts with a tragedy and end
with happy ending.

(e) Melodrama: Melodrama is another type of exaggerated drama. As farce,

the characters tend to be simplified and one-dimensional. The formulaic
storyline of the classic melodrama typically involves a villian heroine, and a
hero who must rescue then heroine from the villian. Sometimes called
“tearjerkers,” examples of melodramas include the play The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams and the classic movie of love during the Civil War,
Gone With the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel.

(f) 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.

(g) Playlet: A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually

consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical
performance rather than just reading. Plays are performed at a variety of levels,
from Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theater, to community theatre, as well
as University or school productions. There are dramatists, notably George
Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were
performed or read. The term “play” can refer to both the written works of
playwrights and to their complete theatrical performance.

(h) Opera: This versatile genre of drama combines theater, dialogue, music,
and dance to tell grand stories of tragedy or comedy. Since characters express
their feelings and intentions through song rather than dialogue, performers must
be both skilled actors and singers. The decidedly tragic La Bohème, by
Giacomo Puccini, and the bawdy comedy Falstaff, by Giuseppe Verdi are
classic examples of opera.

(i) Docudrama: A relatively new genre, docudramas are dramatic portrayals of

historic events or non-fictional situations. More often presented in movies and
television than in live theater, popular examples of docudramas include the
movies Apollo 13 and 12 Years a Slave, based on the autobiography written by
Solomon Northup.

FUNCTION OF DRAMA
Drama is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can directly
speak to their readers, or the audience, and they can receive instant feedback of
audiences. A few dramatists use their characters as a vehicle to convey their
thoughts and 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. In dramas the characters live out a story
without any comments of the author, providing the audience a direct
presentation of characters’ life experiences.

WHAT MAKES DRAMA SO DRAMATIC?

To make their plays dramatic, playwrights strive to progressively build the
audience’s feelings of tension and anticipation as the story develops. Dramatic
tension builds as the audience keeps wondering “What happens next?” and
anticipating the outcomes of those events. In a mystery, for example, dramatic
tension builds throughout the plot until an exciting or unanticipated climax is
revealed.
Dramatic tension is all about keeping the audience guessing. In the ancient
Greek tragedy Oedipus the King, will Oedipus ever figure out that by killing his
father and sleeping with his mother he had caused the plague that destroyed his
city, and what will he do about it if he does? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, will
Prince Hamlet ever avenge his father’s death and get rid of his pesky ghost and
visions of floating daggers by murdering the play’s antagonist Claudius?
Dramas depend heavily on spoken dialogue to keep the audience informed
about the characters’ feelings, personalities, motivations, and plans. Since the
audience sees characters in a drama living out their experiences without any
explanatory comments from the author, playwrights often create dramatic
tension by having their characters deliver soliloquies and asides.

IMPORTANCE OF DRAMA
i. Drama encourages kids to work collaboratively. They take part in activities
where they must rely on each other and learn to trust.
ii. Drama is a wonderful way for children to interact with, and interpret
literature, or text of any sort. They get opportunities to analyze how a
character’s personality, motives and actions influence plot. This can be as
simple as understanding and portraying the fear that a piggy feels when
confronted by a wolf. Some kids who think they don’t like books will find their
way to reading by dramatizing a story or poem.
iii. Drama develops communication skills. Kids learn how to use their face,
voice and body movements to get a message across to any audience, whether it
be at a job interview, on stage, or with a group of friends.

iv. Drama allows kids to practise many of the higher order thinking skills in a
playful context. They must think critically, apply knowledge to new situations,
analyze, solve problems, make decisions, collaborate – all skills that will
benefit not just their reading and writing, but every core subject at school.

v. Drama prepares kids for real life. In our rush to have children acquire
academic learning, we often forget their personal and social development. The
emphasis in drama is on being a team member and working collaboratively
rather than hogging the limelight for yourself. Kids are expected to be active,
reflective, flexible, responsible and responsive – all skills that will benefit them
in every facet of their lives.

vi. Drama gives kids an outlet for their creativity. Not every child can wild a
paintbrush to their own satisfaction or play an instrument like a virtuoso. Drama
is a level playing field. I have seen so many children blossom in drama classes.

vii. Drama encourages self-discipline. It might look and sound messy and noisy
but it isn’t a mayhem. It’s not about putting yourself first. It’s about working as
a group.
viii. Drama gives us a way to gain understanding of others. We learn tolerance
by walking a mile in another’s shoes, and drama is a way to do that.

CHARACTERISTICS OF DRAMA
(a)Drama is meant to be acted on stage.
(b) Action is involved in drama.
(c)Drama is written in Acts and Scenes.
(d) Drama is watched by audience.

Examples of Drama in Literature

Example #1: Much Ado About Nothing (By William Shakespeare)
Much Ado About Nothing is the most frequently performed Shakespearian
comedy in modern times. 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 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: Oedipus Rex (By Sophocles)

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 the following reasons:

The play arouses emotions of pity and fear, and achieves the tragic Catharsis.
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: The Importance of Being Earnest (By Oscar Wilde)
Farce:
Oscar Wilde’s 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), which 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 his ward immediately falls in love
with the other “Ernest.” Thus, two young women think that they love the same
man – an occurrence that amuses the audience.

Example #4: The Heiress (By Henry James)

Melodrama:
The Heiress is based on Henry James’ novel the Washington Square. Directed
for stage performance by William Wyler, this play shows an ungraceful and
homely daughter of a domineering and rich doctor. She falls in love with a
young man, Morris Townsend, and wishes to elope with him, but he leaves her
in the lurch. The author creates melodrama towards the end, when Catherine
teaches a lesson to Morris, and leaves him instead.
DRAMA CHARACTERISTICS

1. Characters: Characters play an important role in the drams whether it is a

major or minor one. A brief description of each character should be
included in the drama. For example, Troy Maxson is the main character of
 the August Wilson’s ‘Fences’. Other characters like Troy’s wife (Rose) and
friend (Jim Bono) are related to the main character.
2. Plot: Plot comprises exposition, a rising action as well as a falling action,
climax and resolution. After the exposition, the main conflict comes and
finally, the resolution that provides a conclusion.
3. Symbol: The use of gestures, objects or persons is needed to showcase the
inner meaning that is beyond the literal. The objects establish the meaning.
However, to define a symbol, a particular object can be used in a brief
scene that represents the symbolic strength.