Introduction to Drama

1. DRAMA : AN INTRODUCTION 

The word 'drama' is derived from the Greek word 'chan' which means to do or to perform. Technically it means a deed or action on the stage. Drama has a particular relation with action. A cursory glance at its history clearly shows that since its inception, action has been an integral part of drama. Drama is neither the name of statements in dialogue nor just a collection of characters as well as events nor is it just entertainment and philosophy. Somewhere it is meant for purification of hearts and sometimes for salvation. Its elements on the one hand include characterisation, plot and dialogue and on the other hand stillness, sound and light. So, it is difficult to define drama in brief.

In literature, a drama is the portrayal of fictional or non-fictional events through the performance of written dialogue (either prose or poetry). Drama can be performed on stage, on film, or the radio. Drama is typically called play, and its creators are known as Playwrights or Dramatists. Drama depends heavily on spoken dialogue to keep the audience informed about the characters' feelings, personalities, motivations and plans.

2. ORIGIN, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMA 

The origin of the drama is deeply rooted in the instincts of mankind. This is true of the Greek, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian and of the modern Christian drama.

The ancient Greek drama shows close kinship with the religious ceremonies of people. Greek drama is acclaimed to be the earliest recorded form of drama (5th century BC). It is said to have originated from the Dionysian religious rites, and also remained a communal rite during the classical period. Dionysus, God of life and death, God of wine and of fertile Earth was the father of Greek comedy and tragedy. The dramatists of this age gave insight into the philosophy and religious beliefs of the ancient Greece. These early Greek plays treated life's basic problems with utmost honesty and attacked social ills using legendary and mythological themes. This helped to ensure sanity and balance in the society.

In the Medieval period, drama was used to clarify the message of the gospel through the re-enactment of the biblical stories during mass gatherings. It was later expanded to include the dramatisation of the lives of the saints and other notable stories of the Bible that did not form part of the Sunday's lessons. It was therefore used for the spiritual and moral growth of the people.

Drama and theatre also played important roles in the social lives of the people in the ancient Roman Empire, England, Germany and France. Playwrights like Shakespeare, Brecht, Goethe, Moliere and others in varying degrees used their works to enable their respective countries to carve out and affirm a unique identity for themselves.

The American industrial sector was radically but positively affected through the intervention of one play, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. This play is regarded as being responsible for the spirit of industrial revolution in America.

In Africa, Kenya to be precise, a playwright, Ngugi wa Thiong'o was arrested and detained because of the political and social consciousness which his play, I Will Marry When I Want, aroused in the audience after the production. The play was written and presented in his Kikuyu language; this enabled the audience, to assimilate its message immediately and to react accordingly. Ngugi was forced into exile.

The drama of any society, therefore, reflects the problems, aspirations, philosophy and cultural background of the people. In fact, the themes have transcended through many dramatic periods. Also, the fact that these plays were performed by professional actors makes them a transition between the classical drama and the plays we see today

3. FUNCTIONS OF DRAMA 

It presents a story realistically through the actors to the audience. Drama is therefore used to entertain, inform and educate people. We can see that it is the most effective tool for mass mobilisation by the Government and Private Agencies. For instance, most campaigns against AIDS, Drug Abuse, Child Abuse and so on, are presented in the form of drama to educate, enlighten, while at the same time to entertain people.

Of all the creative artists, the dramatist is in the best position to reflect his society and to cause social reforms. This is because his work has a unique characteristic of presenting events in a vivid, picturesque and realistic manner. This helps to stamp social conditions realistically in the minds of the audience. Its message is therefore immediate. The rich and the poor, the young and the old, the literate and the illiterate enjoy and grasp the message of drama once it is presented in the appropriate language.

4. TYPES OF DRAMA 

Dramatic performances are generally classified into specific categories according to the mood, tone and actions depicted in the plot.

Some popular types of drama include : 

Comedy : Lighter in tone, comedies are intended to make the audience laugh and usually have happy endings. Comedies place off-beat characters in unusual situations causing them to do and say funny things. Comedy can also be sarcastic in nature, poking fun at serious topics. There are also several sub-genres of comedy, including romantic comedy, sentimental comedy, a comedy of manners and tragic comedy.

Tragedy : Based on darker themes, tragedies portray serious subjects like death, disaster and human suffering in a dignified and thought-provoking way. Rarely enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, are often burdened by tragic character flaws that ultimately lead to their demise.

Melodrama : The word melodrama is coined from melo (music) and drama. It is, therefore, a play that utilises music extensively. But the utilisation of music is not the only factor in melodrama; what really makes it melodrama is its portrayal of the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist suffers a lot, but triumphs in the end, while the antagonist suffers, so melodrama can be defined as a play that has serious action caused by a villain and a destruction of the villain which brings about a happy resolution in the play.

Tragic-Comedy : We have seen that tragedy is a serious play that ends on a sad note, while comedy ends happily. In traditional tragedy, playwrights were not allowed to bring in any comic action. In Oedipus Rex, for instance, we will observe that the atmosphere is tense from the beginning to the end. As time went on, even from the Elizabethan period, comic characters were included in tragic plays. This is called comic relief.  Tragic-comedy is a play that mixes both comic and tragic elements in equal proportion. It therefore elicits both tragic and comic emotions. In these plays, the characters take on tragedy with humour in bringing serious situations to happy endings.

Farce : Farce which is referred to as comedy of situation, is a humorous play on a trivial theme usually one that is familiar to the audience. The themes that are treated in farce include mistaken identity, elaborate misunderstanding, switched costume (men in women’s clothes), heroes forced under tables, misheard instructions, discoveries, disappearances and many such situations. It presents physical activities that grow out of situations. Farce does not treat serious social issues.

Opera : This versatile genre of drama combines theatre, 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 Boheme by Giacomo Puccini and the bawdy comedy Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi are classic examples of opera.

5. ELEMENTS OF DRAMA 

According to the Aristotelian conventions, six basic elements are followed in any drama across eras. These are

Dianoia : The theme of the play, is the central idea around which the story is built. It is either expressed through dialogue or action or inferred after the entire performance.

Mythos : The order of events occurring in a play is the plot. What the characters do, what happens to them in the end, constitutes the plot. The unfolding of the story through the series of incidents, the sequencing, the background and the climax constitute the plot.

Ethos : The characters of a play are essentially the persons who perform the drama. They are interwoven with the plot and bring out the theme of the play.

Lexis : The diction or the language used is the most important aspect of a play. It is only through the language, the dialogues that the playwright communicates with the audience and brings his characters alive. The wit, accent, tone, soliloquies are a few techniques which say a lot about a character. Language may include both verbal and non-verbal techniques. There are many famous dialogues and monologues which have lent an eternal life to a drama e.g. “To be or not to be…”, the famous soliloquy is still fresh in the minds of the readers.

Melos : The music compositions, the sounds and rhythm of the dialogues, the background score and sound effects is the melos element of the drama. The right kind of music, placed at the right points in the story, elevates the drama to another level. In Greek plays, melos would also consist of the utterances by the chorus.

Opsis : The visual elements like costumes, special effects, stage props and make-up accentuate the visual elements of the play and highlight the characters.