Development of Drama as a Form

 KMGB Government Arts College, Vallbhipur 

Course : B. A  English Sem - 4

Name : Dabhi Nirali Mansukhbhai 

Paper Name : Introduction to the Study of Literature - 2 

Essay Writing 

Submitted to : Dr. Komal mam 

Submitted by : Dabhi Nirali M.

Development of Drama as a form :

Introduction :

Drama is generally thought to have started increase between 600 and 200 BC, although some critics trace it to Egyptian religious rights of coronation.

The origin of the drama is deep-rooted in the religious predispositions of mankind. This is the case not only with English drama, but with dramas of other nations as well. The ancient Greek and Roman dramas were mostly concerned with religious ceremonials of people. It was the religious elements that resulted in the development of drama. As most of the Bible was written into Latin, common people could not understand its meanings. That’s why the clergy tried to find out some new methods of teaching and expounding the

teachings of Bible to the common people. For this purpose, they developed a new method, wherein the stories of the Gospel were explained through the living pictures. The performers acted out the story in a dumb show. The oldest existing church drama was “Quem Quarritis” (whom are you seeking).This drama was called liturgical (ritual,ceremonial, used in the church) drama, in which the story was simply taken from the scripture (Holy Books, The Bible).

Classical Greek drama :

Western drama originates in classical Greece. In Greece dramatic performances were associated with religious festivals. The Greeks produce different types of drama mainly tragedy and comedy. Famous greek tragedians include Aeschylus , Sophocles , Euripides. The best writer of comedy was Aristophanes. 

Classical Roman drama :

The Romans inherited the drama tradition from the Greeks. Following the expansion of the Roman Republic (509–27 BC) into several Greek territories (between 270–240 BC), Rome encountered Greek drama. Roman theatre was more varied, extensive and sophisticated than that of any culture before it. The expansion of the Rome helped spread drama to many places in Europe and the Mediterranean world. Seneca is the most

important Roman tragedian.

Medieval drama :

The middle ages start with the fall of the Roman Empire. Most of classical learning was lost in mediaeval times. The Middle Ages were dominated by religion and the study of theological matters. The Christian doctrine and Christian values were the measure of everything. During the middle ages, drama was looked down upon as evil and a means of corruption. However faced with the need to spread the word of God to the illiterate masses, the church came up to devise some form of dramatic performance to help the teaching in teaching Christian beliefs and Biblical stories. In which the characters personify moral qualities such as charity or vice or obstructions as death or youth and in which moral lessons are taught. (From the liturgical, drama evolved to Mystery and Miracle. Mystery and Miracle plays, along with Moralities and Interludes, evolved into more elaborate forms of drama, such as was seen on the Elizabethan stages. )

The three main types of Mediaeval drama are

1️⃣ Mystery Plays – about bible stories

2️⃣ Miracle plays– about the lives of Saints and the miracle they performed

3️⃣ Morality plays– In which the characters personified moral qualities such as charity or wise or obstruction such as death or youth and in which moral lessons are taught.

The Renaissance:

The Renaissance is the period that followed the middle ages. It started in Italy in the 14th century and spread to other parts of Europe. The word our is the French word which means rebirth. The Renaissance period witnessed a new interest in learning and discovery of the natural world. The works of the Greek and Roman writers were rediscovered. The invention of the printing press help to make the production of books easier and cheaper hence available to more people.(Humanism: the humanist movement stressed the role of man and reason in understanding the world and rejected the pre-dominance of religious thinking.)

Renaissance drama:

During the Renaissance the works of Greek and Roman dramatics were rediscovered and imitated. Plays were no longer restricted to religious themes. This happened first in Italy and spread then to other parts of Europe

In England, drama flourished during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 11558–1603, who was a patron of literature and the arts. Theatre were built in London and people attended plays in large numbers. The most important matters for William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

Elizabethan and Jacobean drama :

One of the great flowerings of drama in England occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. Plays with five acts with several scenes became popular.

Authors such as Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Ben Jonson were prominent playwrights during this period.

Modern and postmodern drama :

The pivotal and innovative contributions of the 19th-century Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen and the 20th-century German theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht dominate modern drama.Three act plays came into vogue. In modern drama, still further on even the three act plays was replaced by one act play.

Authors of this period drew some of their storylines from Greek mythology and Roman mythology. Other important playwrights of the modern era include Anton Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Jean Genet, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter.

Conclusion :

In essence, the development of drama is a history of increasing independence from institutions, moving toward a more realistic and impactful representation of life. 

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