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English 131

English 131 . Introduction to Drama. 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.

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English 131

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  1. English 131 Introduction to Drama

  2. 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. • Trivia: Thespis introduced dialogue, spoken lines representing conversation

  3. II. Two main types of Greek drama • A. tragedy • B. comedy

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

  5. Aristotle’s Six Elements of Tragedy

  6. I. Plot

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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).

  10. 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

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

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

  13. 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.

  14. Brief History and Description of Dramatic Conventions

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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.

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

  20. 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 = dreamlike atmospheres • Theater of the absurd = depicts a world without meaning where everything seems ridiculous

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