What is drama? Meaning and definition

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

What is drama? This is a literary genre. Today, the term is used, as a rule, when it comes to a film that tells about tragic events. However, the word "drama" appeared a long time ago, much earlier than the release of the film by the Lumiere brothers.

Antiquity

The question of what is drama, almost everyone can answer. But what did it look like at the initial stage of its development? This genre of literature originated in ancient Greece. Then it was a public art focused on performance, image, play. The ancient Greeks did not consider drama in isolation from the theater. The purpose of a dramatic work is to evoke the emotions of the audience, to make them experience. And you can achieve this goal as much as possible with the help of acting, scenery, various theatrical techniques.

There was no antagonism between literature and theater in ancient times. The most important task of dramaturgy was the transfer of the author's idea.

Despite the fact that in the era of Antiquity the most popular form of art was theater, the drama was perceived not only as a performance, but also as a literary text. The literary genre migrated from Greece to Rome. FounderDrama as a work of art is considered by many to be Seneca. His dramatic works were perceived by the elite art, they were intended not for theatrical performances, but for reading in aristocratic circles.

Renaissance and Classicism

In the Middle Ages, there were no authors who created works in this genre. However, the monks actively copied and commented on the writings of ancient authors. The audience remembered what drama was in the Renaissance: the works of Tasso, Ariosto, Machiavelli appeared.

In the age of Classicism, drama became almost the main genre of literature. In that era, the authors sought to comply with stylistic canons, which were very strict. Playwrights were, as a rule, theatrical figures, and therefore the connection between literature and theatrics remained very strong. At the same time, the audience in different countries perceived the new performances differently. In England, preference was given to the plot (antique motifs were often used), but not many people knew the name of the author. In Spain, fans of theatrical art were in a hurry to see another play by Lope de Vega.

New time

The connection between theater and literature became less strong by the beginning of the 19th century. after the bourgeois revolution. The first commercial theaters appeared in Europe. By that time, the authority of the actors had increased. If earlier the theater was a folk or aristocratic art, now when creating plays, the authors were guided by a different audience - the bourgeoisie. And the audience paid more attention to the actingcomposition.

The question of what is drama in the 19th century could be answered in different ways. On the one hand, it was a theatrical production based on a properly built intrigue. On the other hand, a work of art by one of such authors as Goethe, Swinburne, Byron, Shelley.

Yet in the 19th century authors wrote not so much for the audience as for the readers. A huge role in the development of the theater was played by the discovery of Shakespeare's works. By the way, this happened only in the XVIII century. It was thanks to Shakespeare that poetic drama became poetic.

What is drama and what are its characteristics? This is a work in which there is a clash of characters representing different interests. When it comes to drama, the writings of authors of the 18th and 19th centuries come to mind. There are several types:

• philistine;
• symbolic;
• existential;
• drama of the absurd;
• melodrama.

The writers of the 19th century who turned to this genre are Leo Tolstoy, Honore de Balzac, Alexander Ostrovsky, Henrik Ibsen. The drama of the absurd appeared already in the twentieth century. Representatives of this subgenre are Daniil Kharms, August Strindberg.

Cinema

The theater of drama and comedy is visited by true lovers of performing arts. But cinema is more popular all over the world today. Russian and foreign directors annually shoot several hundred drama films. This is one of the genres of feature films, along with comedy, thrillers. But even here there are several subgenres. Namely - a criminal, psychological, historical, teenage drama.

It should be said that there is no clear genre system in modern cinema. At least, this is what many researchers believe. At an early stage in the development of cinema, comedy, adventure film and melodrama were distinguished. But over time, these genres have become less defined. Perhaps that is why many films have multiple genres listed in their synopses.

So, there are three main genres of dramaturgy: tragedy, comedy, drama. The last two, oddly enough, have common features, namely the depiction of people's private lives. But if the goal of comedy is to ridicule human morals and characters, then in drama, the hero's attitude to society and events comes to the fore. The characters in the drama are ordinary people in an unusual situation. Main feature: the character of the protagonist undergoes significant changes. One of the best dramas created in the history of cinema is "Hello, sadness!". The film is based on the novel of the same name by Francoise Sagan.

The word "drama" is often used in everyday life when talking about something sad. In this case, it acquires an ironic connotation. True, in the song of Polina Gagarina, which is called "There is no more drama", there is no irony. This is a lyrical composition. But back to cinematography.

It is impossible to list even a hundredth of the dramas, melodramas created over the past century. The list will be too long. Fortunately, there are film scholars and critics who annually single out the worthwhile ones from this cinematic mass.work. Thus, the Golden Globe Award is awarded in several categories, including for the best drama film. Let's remember the most famous films that were awarded the prestigious film award.

"Tram "Desire""

The film was released in 1951. Today, "A Streetcar Named Desire" is included in the golden collection of world cinema. The main role was played by Vivien Leigh - the star of "Gone with the Wind". The actress played an elderly but still attractive English teacher. She comes from New Orleans to visit relatives. There is conflict in the family. The husband of the sister of the main character is very suspicious of a relative who has suddenly appeared. This misunderstanding is aggravated every day and leads to a tragic denouement. At the beginning of the film, the heroine Vivien Leigh is an ordinary woman with a not very happy fate. In the end, this is a person with clear signs of a personality disorder.

To Kill a Mockingbird

The hero of the film, nominated in 1962 for the Golden Globe Award, is lawyer Atticus Finch, a man for whom the words "fairness", "honesty", "impartiality" are not an empty phrase. He defends in court a black young man accused of raping a white girl. The jury knows he's innocent. However, in the middle of the 20th century, African Americans were still discriminated against, and therefore the suspect was found guilty and sentenced to death. The heroes of the film, using the example of their father’s business, learn a lot, they understand thatinjustice can lead to irreparable consequences.

Schindler's List

The worldview of the hero of the film, which won many awards, including the Oscar, is undergoing significant changes. At the beginning of the story, Schindler is a cynical businessman, an unprincipled businessman, ready to do anything for profit. Typical phrase: "War is the best time for business." Who does this successful entrepreneur become by the end of Spielberg's film? A man who gave all his savings to save people doomed to die in gas chambers. "Whoever saves one life will save the whole world" is the slogan of one of the best historical dramas of the 20th century.

Forrest Gump

The hero of the iconic film of the nineties is one of those that are said to be "not of this world." Forrest is unlike anyone: he thinks slowly, but runs very fast. The protagonist of the drama falls into the maelstrom of historical events. He meets with Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, John Lennon and other famous personalities. He himself becomes famous, besides earning a huge fortune. As the mother of the protagonist says: "A fool is a fool." This film is recognized by critics as one of the best dramas, but more often "Forrest Gump" is called a tragicomedy. But as already mentioned, there is no clear genre classification in modern cinema.

Russian dramas

In addition to the above subgenres, there is also a military drama (for example, "The Dawns Here Are Quiet"). In recentRussian directors have been filming many historical serials for years. The drama "The Bloody Lady" tells the story of Daria S altykova, a noblewoman who sent about fifty of her serfs to the next world. The film was released in 2017.

Series that tell about the life of a famous person are very popular with viewers. For example, "The Secret of the White Angel" is dedicated to the singer Anna German. This biopic can be called both drama and melodrama. It tells not only about a woman whose life was full of sorrows, but also about the tragic events of the 20th century (Stalin's repressions).

Other Russian drama series: Murka, Web, Penal Battalion, Still I Love, Anna Karenina. History of Vronsky.