ENC 1102

1. ENC 1102 Introduction to Drama

2. Grand Theatre at Ephesus

3. I. Origins of Drama • A. Many say drama originated in Greece over 2,500 years ago as an outgrowth of the worship of the god Dionysus. • B. During Dionysian festivals, a group of 50 citizens of Athens, known as a chorus, would perform hymns of praise to the god. These were known as dithyrambic poetry. • Theatre built into the side of a hill and could seat almost 17,000 people.

4. II. Two main types of Greek drama • A. Tragedy = drama treating a serious subject and involving persons of significance. According to Aristotle, when the audience sees a tragedy, they should feel both pity and fear. • B. Comedy = Treats themes and characters with humor and typically has a happy ending.

5. III. Aristotle’s classification of drama • 1. epic poetry • 2. dithyrambic poetry • 3. comedy • 4. tragedy

6. Aristotle’s Six Elements of Tragedy

7. I. Plot

8. A. Components of plot • 1. exposition = provides the audience with essential information — who, what, when, where — that it needs to know before it can continue • 2. complication = the interjection of some circumstance or event that shakes up the stable situation that has existed before the play’s opening • 3. rising action = the period in which the audience’s tension and expectations become tightly intertwined and involved with the characters and the events they experience

9. A. Components of plot • 4. conflict = usually a problem that the characters cannot avoid • 5. climax = the moment of greatest tension • 6. falling action = beginning of the lessening of tension • 7. dénouement (resolution) = the “untying of the knot,” in which the tension built up during the play is released

10. II. Characterization • A. Protagonist = the primary speaker • B. Antagonist = the one who speaks against him • C. Character motivation = why does a character behave in this manner? What does he/she hope to gain from these actions? • D. Two conventions a playwright might employ in revealing motivation are soliloquy (a speech made by a single character on stage alone) and aside (a brief remark made directly to the audience).

11. III. Theme = the central idea or ideas that a play discusses • A. Didactic = plays written to instruct the audience in ethical, religious, or political areas • B. Morality play = a sermon on sin and redemption rendered in dramatic terms • C. Problem play = uses the theater as a forum for the serious debate of social issues like industrial pollution or women’s rights • D. Drama of ideas = goes further than simply presenting social problems; it advances a program of reform • E. Social drama = radical social and political programs are openly propagandized

12. IV. Diction = what we would call a playwrights “style” or the language and vocabulary he/she uses

13. V. Melody = the rhythm of the language in a play (meter, verse, and so on)

14. VI. Spectacle = sometimes called mise en scène, or “setting of the scene.” This is the purely visual dimension of a play: the costumes, the props, the set.

15. Brief History and Description of Dramatic Conventions

16. Greek Tragedy • Trilogy • Chorus = a group of singers that comments on the play, often from the point of view of public opinion of the actions taking place • Prologue = an introductory scene that tells the audience important information about the play’s setting, characters, and events immediately preceding the opening of the drama. • Episode (episodos)= a passage of dialogue between two or more actors or between actors and chorus

17. Greek Tragedy • Choral ode = the chorus is alone on stage, singing • Éxodos = the final scene of the play • Epilogue = after the main characters leave, this is where the chorus comes back on stage to sum up the play’s meaning

18. Medieval Drama • Folk drama = plays performed by wandering troupes of actors • Liturgical drama = plays put on by the Roman Catholic church • Mystery Plays = derived from holy scripture • Passion plays = focused on the crucifixion of Christ • Miracle plays = dramatized the lives of the saints • Morality plays = dramatized sermons with allegorical characters

19. Elizabethan Drama • Raised stage = relied very little on set, but heavily on author’s ability to tell the tale • Female parts were played by young boys • Originality, as we use the term, meant little at the time • Designed to appeal to a wide audience, not the elite.

20. The Comic Genres • Commedia dell’arte = a cast of masked stock characters (the miserly old man, the young wife, the ardent seducer)

23. Realistic Drama, the Modern Stage, and Beyond • Realism = plays that drop some of the dramatic conventions in an attempt to portray real life more accurately • Expressionism = reflect troubled, unbalanced mind • Surrealistic = color & scenery mirrored images of dreams

24. Theater of the absurd = depicts a world without meaning where everything seems ridiculous • Melodramas = sensational plays that appealed mainly to emotions • Satire = biting humor that diminishes a person, idea, or institution • Black or dark comedies = rely on the morbid and the absurd

25. Moliere’s Picture-Frame Stage

26. 20th Century Spotlights

27. Defining Drama • Monologues = extended speeches by one character • Soliloquies = monologues in which a character expresses private thoughts while alone on stage • Asides = brief comments by a character who reveals thoughts by speaking directly to the audience