GRACE D. ACIDERA AB-ENG. 3-1 ENG.

80 DRAMA AND POETRY

JULY 29, 2014 T-TH 10:00-11:30
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMA
DRAMA- is a literary composition, which is performed by professional actors onstage (or theatre), before
an audience.
-It involves conflicts, actions and a particular theme.
-Eye-catching make up, facial expressions and body language of the artists are prominent features.
THE ORIGIN OF DRAMA
-Western drama originated in Greece around 500 B.C.
-Ancient Greek drama consists of three kinds of plays:
Tragedy
Comedy
Satyr plays
GREEK DRAMA
-The first tragedies are said to have been performed in 534 B.C. at the festival of Dionysus in Athens
-Satyr-dramas were added in 501 B.C.
-Comedies were first officially produced in Athens in 486 B.C.
-Greek drama flourished in Athens through 500 B.C. to 300 B.C.
-Athens appears to have been the primary locus of dramatic activity in classical Greece.
-Comedies were also performed from the beginning of the fifth century B.C. onward in Sicily.
-The earliest dramas were designed to worship gods and goddesses.
-Masks were used to represent characters, high-soled boots were worn to add height.
-Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Medea are among the famous plays written during this time.
MEDIEVAL DRAMA
-The Christian festival celebration had always included elements that were potentially dramatic.
-In the 10th century bits of chanted dialogue, called tropes, were added to the Easter celebration.
-This was the beginning of drama in post-classical Western Europe.
-These little plays (troops) grew more elaborate.
-Some of the later Latin plays were elaborate and, taking well over an hour to perform.
-The purpose of these plays was to teach religion.
LATE MEDIEVAL DRAMA
-A great deal of dramatic material is found in the late 12th and early 13
th
centuries and the 14th century.
-Most of it is religious.
-These plays can be divided into:
The mystery plays - life of Christ.
Miracle playslives of saints.
Morality playsbeing good/ moral.


MODERN DRAMA
-Modern Drama begins in the late nineteenth century and continues to the present day.
-By the late nineteenth century the Industrial Revolution and other economic changes insured that
prosperous, educated middle-class people comprise the majority of theater-goers.
-Romanticism gave way to Realism during the 19th century, paving the way for the era of contemporary
drama in the20th century.
-Contemporary drama shows the influence of all that has come before.
-Modern drama involved much experimentation with new forms and ideas.
-In the early part of the 20th century, musical drama came to dominate stages in New York and England,
although each theater season saw the release of straight dramatic plays as well.
-The renowned playwrights of this time include W. S. Gilbert, Oscar Wilde, and George Bernard Shaw.
Mehreen Fatima et.al
July 29, 2014
http://www.scribd.com/doc/50552630/History-and-Development-of-Drama-in-English-Literature