IRRITATING buffalo >,<
The three types of drama composed in the city of
Athens were
tragedy,
comedy, and
satire. The origins of Athenian tragedy and comedy are far from clear, but they began (and continued to be) as a part of the celebrations of the god
Dionysus, which were held once a year. Every year three authors were chosen to write three dramas, and one satire play each. Similarly, five authors were also chosen to write three comedies and a satire play each. Each tragedy tetralogy was then performed in 3 successive days, and on the last day the 5 comedies competed. All the plays were played in the Dionysos theatre in Athens, and the best author for both tragedy and comedy was chosen.
The
chorus seems to have originated during 534 BC with a chorus singing a song about some legendary
hero. Later the leader Thespis, rather than singing about the hero, began to think about the hero while impersonating him. Spoken dialogue between several actors was added, and the result was "tragedy" in the Greek form. The very first prize for tragedy went to
Thespis in 534 BC.
In fact, the two masks associated with drama with the smiling and frowning faces are both symbols of the
Muses Thalia and
Melpomene. Thalia is the Muse of
comedy (the smiling face), and Melpomene is the Muse of
tragedy (the frowning face).
[
edit] Medieval
In the Middle Ages, drama in the vernacular languages of Europe emerged from religious enactments of the liturgy.
Mystery plays were presented on the porch of the cathedrals or by strolling players on
feast days. These again evolved into tragic and comic forms, depending on the theme. The first truly secular plays in Europe were historical plays, celebrating the lives of historical or legendary kings, these combined the functions of entertainment and propaganda. Some scholars today believe that
Shakespeare's
Richard III, for instance, served to propagate the
Tudor myth.
Miracle and mystery plays (such as
Everyman) later evolved into more elaborate forms of drama, such as was seen on the Elizabethan stages.
[
edit] Elizabethan and Jacobean
One of the great flowerings of drama in England occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. Many of these plays were written in verse, particularly
iambic pentameter. In addition to
Shakespeare, such authors as
Christopher Marlowe,
Thomas Middleton, and
Ben Jonson were prominent playwrights during this period. As in the
medieval period, historical plays celebrated the lives of past kings, enhancing the image of the
Tudor monarchy. Authors of this period drew some of their storylines from
Greek mythology and
Roman mythology or from the plays of eminent Roman playwrights such as
Plautus and
Terence.
[
edit] Opera
Western opera is a dramatic art form, which arose during the Renaissance in an attempt to revive the classical Greek drama tradition in which both music and theatre were combined. Being strongly intertwined with
western classical music, the opera has undergone enormous changes in the past four centuries and it is an important form of theatre until this day. Noteworthy is the huge influence of the German 19th century composer
Richard Wagner on the opera tradition. In his view, there was no proper balance between music and theatre in the operas of his time, because the music seemed to be more important than the dramatic aspects in these works. To restore the connection with the traditional
Greek drama, he entirely renewed the operatic format, and to emphasize the equally importance of music and drama in these new works, he called them
"music dramas".
[
edit] Korean
Korean dramas are famous all over Asia. The dramas are being sold to China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and they are to be aired on TV for those countries. Korean dramas follow the Hallyu wave from Korea. Many people feel that Korean dramas are very sad. Some famous Korean dramas are: Stairway to Heaven, Winter Sonata, Something Happened in Bali, Autumn Fairy Tale, Summer Scent, Goong (aka Palace), Coffee Prince, and many more.
[
edit] Japanese
Japanese
Nō drama is a serious dramatic form that combines drama, music, and dance into a complete aesthetic performance experience. It developed in the 14th and 15th centuries and has its own musical instruments and performance techniques, which were often handed down from father to son. The performers were generally male (for both male and female roles), although female amateurs also perform Nō dramas. Nō drama was supported by the government, and particularly the military, with many military commanders having their own troupes and sometimes performing themselves. It is still performed in Japan today.
[4]Kyogen is the comic counterpart to Nō drama. It concentrates more on dialogue and less on music, although Nō instrumentalists sometimes appear also in Kyogen.
[
edit] Indian
Main article:
Theatre in IndiaIndian drama is traced back to certain dramatic episodes described in the
Rigveda. The dramas dealt with human concerns as well as the gods. The earliest theoretical account of Indian drama is the
Natya Shastra of Bharata that may be as old as the 3rd century BC. Drama was patronized by the kings as well as village assemblies. Famous early playwrights include
Bhasa and
Kalidasa.
The
Ramayana and the
Mahabharata stories have often been used for plots in Indian drama and this practice continues today
