Drama is a long literary composition in
prose or verse, developed through dialogues and action to be presented on the stage,
while every other form of literature is complete in itself, drama remains
incomplete without a stage.
The following are the major forms of Drama:
MORALITY,MIRACLE AND MYSTERY PLAYS AND INTERLUDES:
Morality plays are allegorical plays. They
present on the stage personified virtues and vices. Every man is presented as the
Hero, Satan personified as Vice, God or Christ as Virtue, and death as the
Reward of Sin.
A Miracle
play is basically a religious play. They deal with the lives of Saints and the miracles
performed by them. The life and martyrdom of a saint formed the central theme
of a miracle play.
The Mystery plays basically deal with the themes
taken from the Bible. They present in chronological order major events from the
creation and fall of man through Nativity, crucifixion, Resurrection of Christ
to the last Judgement.
The Interludes were generally short
entertainments inserted within a longer play or amidst some other festivities
or festivals. Their primary function was to entertain the audience by humour or
even by farce.
THE TRAGEDY: The Tragedy is the tragic story of
a good and great man who, on account of a sight flaw in his character, passes through
a harrowing emotional and spiritual crisis, and finally meets his doom and
death.
THE MELO-DRAMA: Melodrama or Horror play is a crude type of
tragedy. In this type of tragedy sensational scenes of violence, cruelty, murders,
bloodshed, and physical atrocities predominate.
THE FARCE:
Farce is a crude form of comedy. It seeks to cause boisterous horse-laughter.
A Farce is rarely a full play. It is an episode inserted within a play to
please the lower class of spectators, or to relieve tragic tension.
THE MASQUE: Masque was a royal theatrical
entertainment. It combined poetic drama, music, dance, splendid costume and a
colourful stage spectacle. The characters wore masques and presented themselves
as deities or pastoral fairies.
THE POETIC PLAY: A poetic play is also
called a Lyrical Play or a closet Play. It is not meant to be acted on the stage.
In fact, it is a long poem cast into dramatic form and can be read as a poem.
THE DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE: ‘’Monologue’’
literally means “”Dialogue with the self.”” In the Dramatic Monologue there is
only one character who expresses out his own innermost feelings and thoughts
through a long poetic speech. It offers a psychological analysis of the solo-speaker.
THE PROBLEM-PLAY: The Problem-play is a newly
developed dramatic genre. It is so called because its central theme is a social,
economic, legal, political or humanitarian problem. This problem is
dramatically presented.
THE ONE-ACT PLAY: A One –act play is a short
dramatic composition in one Act only. It can have several scenes in the same
Act. It is now a complete dramatic genre in itself. It generally deals with a
contemporary problem.
THE TRAGI-COMEDY, THE ROMANTIC –COMEDY, THE
COMEDY OF HUMOURS, THE COMEDY OF MANNERS are also the major forms of Drama.
(Details of these are already given in the blog post titled LET’S KNOW MORE
ABOUT COMEDY)
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