Major Keywords and Notions in Drama and Tragedy

Drama is written to be performed.

From the Greek word – dran – means to act or to do.

Actions are carried through the characters on the stage.

It takes place in the theatre.

Playwright is the one who writes the plays --- script.

Actors impersonate the characters.

The script is the written play. it is divided into scenes and acts

The acts are long and they are made off scenes. Scenes are short sections usually occur
in one location action at a single point in time.

Plays in England grew out of religious rituals, especially the plays in which the life of
Christ was performed. Then, plays were performed outside to amuse the people. Then
morality plays took place at the end of the fifteenth century. They were didactic in
nature and the characters were personifications of virtues and vices, such as the play
Everyman.

Dramatic speech:

1. Dialogue between two characters.

2. Monologue one person talking
3. Soliloquy one character speaks out his mind to the audience.

Stage directions are placed between parenthesis or brackets.

Conflict: the struggle, internal or external, that creates the tension.

External happens when two characters are not in alignment. Or when the character is
defied by natural forces. Or when the character does not fit into society.

Internal conflict is when the character struggles with his own identity and self.

Characterisation: how the traits of the characters are shown. It is either direct or
indirect.
Direct characterisation: when traits are explicitly given.

Indirect characterisation: happens when the audience infer the traits from the
character’s actions, thoughts, looks and speech.

There are elements of drama:

The plot: the arrangement of incidents.

Action: the movement of the story in the play.

Characters: the people presented in the play. In addition to being either flat and round,
characters can be protagonists or antagonists. Heroes and villains.

Some plays have heroines as well in leading roles. Some plays exhibit heroines in
supporting roles like lady Macbeth. They are subsidiary to the play.

Appearances of fools and clowns.

Sometimes appear caricature which are the grotesque rendering of a character.

Thought: the element that manifests itself in what the characters say, how they argue
and their opinions.

Spectacle: the production of the play which includes visual effects and costumes.

Diction: the expression of thoughts in terms of language. This includes word choice and
vocabularies. It can be simple, elaborate, colloquial or formal, literal or figurative.

Music: includes songs, using musical instruments to be in harmony with the incidents
of the play.

Other elements:

Lighting: helps creating and illusion in the audience. The Elizabethan stage was lit by
hoops of candles.

Audience: people who watch the play.

The setting: using properties to set the time and place of the dramatic action. It includes
scenery, decoration, costumes.
Theme: the abstract idea of the play, the central idea.

The Stage:

The small drama theatres: take between 50 to 300 spectator.

1. The arena theatre: an intimate type of theatre in which the actors perform on a
stage that is surrounded by the audience from all sides.
 2. The thrust theatre: the type of theatre that is surrounded by audience on three
sides. The stage has a proscenium to display scenery.
3. Flexible theatre: can be configured as desired to the production. The playing
space and the audience seating changes every time.

Large drama theatres: take between 300 to 900 up to over a 1000.

1. The proscenium theatre: the acting stage takes on end of the auditorium and it is
separated from the audience by a space called apron. The proscenium arch is the
structure that frame the acting place and it is before the audience. It is said to be
less intimate because it has two boxes, the one where the actors perform and a
separate one for the audience.

Tragedy

 Tr a g edy a ppea r ed in G r eec e in t h e f if t een t h c en t ur y wit h

a ut h or s, suc h a s S oph oc les, E ur ipides. Th en , it em er g ed
la t er on in t h e six t een t h c en t ur y wit h M a r lowe a n d
S h a k espea r e. In t h e n in et een t h c en t ur y , it a ppea r ed wit h
G oet h e a n d Ib sen .
 H ist or ic a lly , it is a r a r e lit er a r y g en r e.
  P h ilosoph ic a lly , it is on e of Ar ist ot le’s in t er est s in h is
in f luen t ia l b ook , P oet ic s.
 Ac c or din g t o Ar ist ot le, t r a g edy is a n im it a t ion of lif e, a n d
t h er e a r e t h r ee elem en t s t o t r a g edy .

1. Tr a g edy is a n a c t ion t h a t is ser ious. Th e a c t ion is

pon der ou s a n d pr opels t h e r ea der s t o r ef lec t on .
2. It a r ouses f ea r a n d pit y b ec a use of it s ser iousn es s .
3. B ec a use of t h ese a r oused em ot ion s, t h e r ea der s g o
t h r oug h a c lea n sin g ex per ien c e.
T h e six elem en t s:
Tr a g edy c on sist s of 6 elem en t s wh ic h are spec t a c le, c h a r a c t er ,
dic t ion , plot , m elody a n d t h oug h t .
Th e m ost im por t a n t , h owever , is t h e plot . An d it h a s t o b e wh ole
wit h def in it e b eg in n in g , m iddle a n d en d.
An d n o t r a g edy wit h out plot , b ut it c a n b e wit h out a ll ot h er s.
 Th e t r a g ic plot h a r b our s t wo dr a m a t ic ef f ec t s: disc over y a n d
c h a n g e.
1. D isc over y or r ec og n it ion h a ppen s wh en t h e c en t r a l f ig ur e
c om es t o k n ow som et h in g t h a t h a s b een h idden b ef or e. It
is a t r a n sit ion f r om ig n or a n c e t o k n owledg e. Th is
r evela t ion is of t en deva st a t in g t o t h e c h a r a c t er .
2. C h a n g e is a m a j or c on seq uen c e of dispellin g ig n or a n c e.
Th e dir ec t of t h e plot is r ever sed a s well a s t h e f or t un es
of t h e h er o.
 Th e c en t r a l f ig ur e in a t r a g edy a lwa y s st r ug g les wit h
q ua lit ies t h a t m a k e up h um a n s, suc h a s doin g j ust ic e,
seek in g f r eedom , j ea lousy a n d ot h er s.
 In ot h er wor ds, t h e c h a r a c t er s t r ug g les wit h h um a n
m or t a lit y , a n d it en ds wit h it s f a t a lit y .
 Th e c en t r a l c h a r a c t er is c a lled - h er o – a n d h e is t h e
c h a r a c t er t h a t is ver y out st a n din g . O t h er c h a r a c t er s c a st
lig h t on h im c on st a n t ly .
 Th e h er o is of t en a m a n .
 Th e h er o is eleva t ed a n d pom pous! H e is n ot lik e t h e
c om m on people a r oun d.
 Th e h er o is a lso sin g le - m in de d a n d a m b it ious!
 T he he ro i s i nt e l l e c t ua l a nd a rde nt ; he i s not f l i ppa nt ,
s upe rf i c i a l or t houg ht l e s s .
 H e s hows re s ol ut i on a nd de t e rmi na t i on be c a us e he ha s a s t rong
wi l l a nd de s i re t o a c hi e v e hi s g oa l . A nd wi t h t he s t rong wi l l
c ome s c oura g e .
  I n a ddi t i on, t he he ro ha s a na t ura l a ut hori t y a nd i s
a ut hori t a ri a n. I t c ome s f rom be i ng of a hi g h ra nk a s a n e mpe ror
or a k i ng .
 H e i s e l oque nt a nd e x pre s s i v e , e s pe c i a l l y re c i t i ng t ouc hi ng
poe t ry or me t a phors .
 H e s t e a l s t he s hi ne of t he ot he r c ha ra c t e rs due t o be i ng
s upe ri or t o t he m.
 Th e h er o ex per ien c es a f a ll. It c a n b e a m or a l on e or a
m en t a l on e. D er a n g em en t a n d d isin t eg r a t ion a r e ex a m ples
of t h e in n er f a ll t h e h er o ex per ien c es.
 Th e h er o c a n ex per ien c e a pub lic f a ll, a s in soc ia l dec lin in g .
If t h e h er is a k in g or a pr ic e, st eppin g down t h e soc ia l
la dder is h is pub lic f a ll.
Th is f a ll is ea sily seen b y t h e a udie n c e a n d it is a ppa llin g !
Th is f a ll c a lls f or t h pit y a n d f ea r b ec a use t h is lof t y c h a r a c t er
is n o lon g er so.
Kin g L ea r en ds up a n a k ed m a dm a n .
Th is is a ppa llin g a n d b a f f lin g .
 Th e t r a g ic f ig ur e of t en over st eps t h e b oun da r ies, does n ot
g o b y t h e r ules or sim ply does som et h in g wr on g . H en c e t h e
t r a g ic f ig ur e som et im es g oes of f t r a c k .
 Th er e is of t en som e – f la w – t o t h e h er o, suc h a s b ein g over
a m b it ious or t oo c on f iden t in h is j udg em en t or t oo j ea lous.
Th ese f la ws a r e c on seq uen t i a l f or t h e down f a ll of t h e h er o.
 Th e t r a g ic f ig ur e is of t en t oo pr oud! Th is is c a lled h ub r is or
ex c essive c on f iden c e in on eself . In t h e sa m e f a sh ion , t h e
h er o ex h ib it s in solen c e.
 Th e h er o of t en pa sses a posit ive j udg em en t s on t o h is deeds.
H owever , h e disda in s ot h er s b y put t h em t o dea t h , f or
in st a n c e.
 Tr a g edy m a k es t h e a udien c e f eel a m b iva len t ( lea ves us wit h
m ix ed em ot ion s) b ec a use t h er e a r e g ood q ua lit ies f or t h e
h er o t h a t a r e eq ua lly dest r oy ed b y h is f a ll.
We lik e t h ose q ua lit ies suc h a s in t eg r it y a n d h on est y , b ut we
see t h em t or n down .
Th er ef or e, we k in d of f eel a loss.
An d t h is c or r upt ion of g ood q ua lit ies m a k es us t h in k ! We
st op t a k in g t h in g s f or g r a n t ed!
 F in a lly , a n d m ost im por t a n t ly , we pur if y a n d pur g e. Th e in t en se
f eelin g s a n d t h eir b ein g a lla y ed m a k e us f eel c om posed!

N o t e : In t h e m a k in g of t h ese t wo lec t ur es, I h a ve c on sult ed t h e

f ollowin g sour c es, wh ic h I a lso r ec om m en d t o f ur t h er y our
un der st a n d in g of t h is c our se:

Betti, M. J (2020) An Introduction to Drama. University of Thi-Qar. Available at:

https://www.academia.edu/44309957/An_Introduction_to_Drama.

De Glouse, T. G. The Nature of Shakespearean Tragedies. Available at:

https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/1983408.pdf.

Elements of Drama: http://www.uop.edu.pk/ocontents/introduction%20to%20drama.pdf

Gill, Richard (2006) Mastering English Literature. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Types and Forms of Theatres: Available at:
http://theatreprojects.com/files/pdf/Resources_IdeasInfo_typesandformsoftheatre.pdf

Compiled and Paraphrased by: Dr. Islam Adil