¶ … Drama [...] how drama can capture the emotions of an audience and engage participants and audience to such an extent that they may experience feelings they forgot they had and thoughts they had not yet discovered. Drama can capture an audience and make us want to know more about the playwright, but what is drama, really? Everyone has drama in their own lives, so watching dramatic presentations makes us feel closer to our own problems, and perhaps find some solutions. Drama captivates us, which is why it has been such a popular form of entertainment for so many eras.
What is drama, and what purpose does it serve in our fast-paced society, anyway? Drama is entertaining, obviously, but the best dramas contain much more than entertainment value. They have compelling characters, situations that strike a chord with the viewers, and offer solutions that very well may apply to the drama of our own very hectic lives. Dramas then are character studies with serious implications for the characters, and so, they draw the viewer into their spell and captivate them, making them want to know more. Dramas were one of the first types of entertainment for mass audiences, and they continue to captivate audiences today. In fact, they are one form of entertainment that is created mainly for viewing, rather than reading. The encyclopedia Encarta notes, "Although works of drama, called plays, are also often read in this manner, they are created primarily to be presented in public by a group of performers, each of whom pretends to be one of the characters in the story the play is telling" ("Drama"). Thus, dramas are created for the eye and ear, rather than the eye alone, and so, they appeal to a wider variety of our senses.
Drama has a long and varied history. The actual origin of the word is from Greek for "To do or act" (Hartley and Ladu 1), which is especially appropriate, since Greek dramas are some of the oldest known to humankind. While many experts believe drama began in very ancient times, the first real record we have of drama is from the Greeks, where as early as the 6th century B.C., drama pageants and festivals were held to honor the Gods ("Drama"). Many types of plays were performed, but tragedies seemed to lead the way, and some of the earliest playwrights are still being read today, such as Sophocles and Aeschylus. Thus, drama was one of the earliest chronicled forms of entertainment.
Drama gradually went out of style in the ancient world, but interest was renewed in medieval times, when church performances grew and were enhanced into outdoor plays. Secular plays were also performed during this time, and the dramatic form of comedy regained popularity, too. Interest in all forms of drama continued to surge during the Renaissance, and scholars began to study the many forms of drama, and develop new types. The old dramas of Greece and Rome that had contained a chorus along with the actors were studied and reformed into a new form of entertainment - opera. Drama continued to spread, and its' popularity paved the way for some of the world's most famous playwrights, including Shakespeare ("Drama"). Queen Elizabeth loved drama, and Shakespeare's work was extremely popular in her court. After her death in 1603, popular drama took a tragic turn, and it was during this time that Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous tragedies, including "Othello," "King Lear," and "Macbeth." Drama continued to ebb and flow during the 18th and 19th centuries ("Drama"). Today, it remains a popular and enduring form of entertainment, with drama translated to the movie screen and the television screen. Modern tastes in drama can run from the alluring Broadway musical to the tense dramas of Arthur Miller and Edward Albee or the comedies of Neil Simon. Whatever the taste, chances are there is a drama playing that will satisfy and entertain.
Shakespeare is one of the premier playwrights in history, and good drama makes the viewer want to see more, and explore other facets of drama. Perhaps that is why Shakespeare's work is so very enduring. His work has all the elements, tragedy, comedy, romance, and character study that keep audiences guessing and coming back for more. Sometimes, watching a play that rings true can help a person sort out their own personal dramas. For example, viewing the trials and tribulations of Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, the viewer might see a little...
Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" puts across an episode involving a king, his three daughters, and various important members of their kingdom as they come across events that put their humanity to test and that provide each of them with circumstances where they have to demonstrate their ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The play presents audiences with cruelty, suffering and the general feeling that divine powers are uninterested in
And while it may seem silly upon first reading or seeing the play, it is clear that a Midsummer Night's Dream also has quite serious ideas. Scholars have noted that the play includes a cultural critique of the Elizabethan era in which it is set (Lamb 93-124). Other critics have noted that the play may contain quite subversive ideas regarding the fluid nature of sexual identity (Green 369-370). Whatever
Edward bond's lear vs. shakespeare's king lear Political Potential Influenced by Betrolt Brecht Plot: Beginning of Transformation Marxism in Lear Governments into Power Christike Political Figure Governmental Autocratic Attitudes Epic Theatre: Political Effect on Audience Patriarchal Constraints Cultural Power Political Repercussions edward bond's lear Vs. shakespeare's king lear Lear was a play that was produced back in 1971 and it was not just any play. Lear had three-act and it was created by the British dramatist Edward Bond. Many considered it to be
Edward Bond's Lear vs. Shakespeare's King Lear Adapting Lear for modern audiences: Edward Bond's Lear vs. Shakespeare's King Lear Shakespeare's King Lear is considered one of the greatest tragedies of human literature, as it grapples with the question of the nature of humanity, human goodness, and the purpose of life. Lear is envisioned as an existentialist hero in some modern adaptations of the play, although for many years the mad king and his
Richard III was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and possibly aside from Titus Andronicus, one of his most brutal. This violence is contrasted with Shakespeare's use of supernatural elements such as dreams and curses, because these supernatural elements grant certain characters power who would otherwise be powerless in the face of the physical violence upon which Richard and his rise to power depend (even though Richard himself shies away from
Hamlet and Horatio The relationship between Horatio and Hamlet is one based on extraordinary trust and confidence. It is this trust that allows the two to share everything and to not fear being labeled. This is a very important and critical feature of the foundation on which this friendship is based. While there are others who love Hamlet, most of them are quick to judge and label Hamlet. Horatio is not
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