4.1 History of Drama

Drama section
4.1 History of English Drama

Name any four periods of History of British drama.
Answer:
The four periods of History of British drama are:
1. Medieval Period or Early Period (11th to 15th Century)

2. Renaissance Period (16th to 17th Century)
3. Restoration Period (1660 onwards)
4. Victorian Period (1837 to 1901)
List the four elements of drama.
Answer:
The four elements of drama are:
1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Theme
4. Stage directions
.
State a type of drama each from any four periods of history.

Answer:
1. (Morality) Medieval period – Everyman (1490)

2. (Comedy) Renaissance Period – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595)
3. (Tragedy) Restoration Period – All for Love (1677)
4. (19th Century Morality) Victorian Period – An Enemy of the People (1882)
Compare the features of comedy and tragedy.
Answer:
Comedy Tragedy
1. Comedy is a humorous story with a 1. A tragedy is a serious story with a sad

happy ending. ending.
2. Characters in comedy are ordinary 2. Characters in tragedy are royal

personages, extraordinary and with divine
people from day to day life.
qualities.
3. Comedy reveals truth in humourous way. 3. Tragedy reveals truth in realistic way.
4. Comedy gives emotional relief through 4. Tragedy brings purgation through

laughter. E.g. As You Like It, A Midsummer arousing pity and fear in the mind of
Night’s Dream audience. E.g. Hamlet, King Lear…
State the difference between poetry and drama.

Answer:
Drama Poetry
1. Drama is a composition, normally in

prose, telling a story and intended to be 1. Poetry is a verse or a poetic presentation
represented by actors imitating the for recitation than performance.
characters and speaking the dialogue.
2. Drama is presentation in acts and scenes 2. Poetry is presented in the form of

and dialogues. stanzas and recited in rhyme and rhythm.
3. Drama is factual and realistic in its theme 3. Poetry is imaginative and visualizes the
and message. experience or scenario.
4. Drama consists of a beginning, middle 4. Poetry doesn’t bother to be compact. It

and end. It’s complete in itself. E.g. is beyond time, place and reason. E.g.
Pygmalion by Georgr Bernard Shaw. Ozymandias by the poet P. B. Shelley.
State the difference between drama and novel.

Answer:
Drama Novel
1. Drama is a composition, normally in

prose, telling a story and intended to 1. Novel is written in basic prose style and it is
be represented by actors imitating the only for armchair reading not for performance.
characters and speaking the dialogue.
2. Drama is a presentation in acts and 2. Novel is a presentation of the events in the

scenes and dialogues. form of paragraphs.
3. Drama is a performance, so the 3. Novel is a prose narrative, so the narrator

characters are the mouthpieces of the plays important role in describing the characters
dramatists. and their actions.
4. Dialogue is the most essential 4. Although novels sometimes have dialogues, it

element of drama and is a greater is not a necessary part of the structure like it is
exposure for the characters. E.g. As for drama. E.g. Pride and Prejudice by Jane
You Like It by Shakespeare. Austen..
Define drama.
Answer:
Drama is a Greek word meaning ‘act’ or ‘deed’. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle
used this term in a very influential treatise called the Poetics. In this text, Aristotle classified
different forms of poetry according to basic features he thought could be commonly
recognized in their composition.
Explain the term plot.

Answer:
A plot is a logically developed chain of events in a narrative. The events are arranged in such
a way that the whole drama becomes an action. The plot of the drama has six stages –
Exposition, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement or Ending. In
short, Aristotle called a plot as ‘a complete action’ and it means a plot consists of a
beginning, middle, and end. The plot of a drama may be simple or complex.
Differentiate between characters and characterization.
Answer:
A character is a person, an animal, or a supernatural power performing action drama or any
literary work. The dramatists create the characters as per their intentions and needs. The
characters which are used to represent a particular trait or quality are stock or static
characters. The characters which change and have varied angle are called round or dynamic
characters.
On the other hand, characterization is an art and the techniques a dramatist or a writer used
to create and develop characters. The dramatists take every effort to bring the characters to
life by establishing their relation with the characters. In short, characterization is the process
through which the dramatists try to reveal the characters and their personal qualities.
*Enlist a few reasons for watching a drama live on the stage.

Answer:
The reasons for watching a drama live on the stage are:
1. Live drama involves real people on real stage giving real experience to the audience.
2. It boosts our literary knowledge and develops our understanding of drama.
3. It has greater impact on our perspective towards life and helps to form objective
approach.
4. It helps us to present our views and respect others views. It guides us to take proper
decisions in life.
5. It gives direct purgation of our emotions and builds our confidence.

4.1 History of Drama

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

4.1 History of Drama

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

4.1 History of Drama

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Drama section

4.1 History of English Drama

1. Medieval Period or Early Period (11th to 15th Century)

State a type of drama each from any four periods of history.

1. (Morality) Medieval period – Everyman (1490)

1. Comedy is a humorous story with a 1. A tragedy is a serious story with a sad

2. Characters in comedy are ordinary 2. Characters in tragedy are royal

4. Comedy gives emotional relief through 4. Tragedy brings purgation through

State the difference between poetry and drama.

1. Drama is a composition, normally in

2. Drama is presentation in acts and scenes 2. Poetry is presented in the form of

4. Drama consists of a beginning, middle 4. Poetry doesn’t bother to be compact. It

State the difference between drama and novel.

1. Drama is a composition, normally in

2. Drama is a presentation in acts and 2. Novel is a presentation of the events in the

3. Drama is a performance, so the 3. Novel is a prose narrative, so the narrator

4. Dialogue is the most essential 4. Although novels sometimes have dialogues, it

Explain the term plot.

*Enlist a few reasons for watching a drama live on the stage.

You might also like