Overview

Chapter 7: History of Drama

Overview

The history of drama mirrors human history, dating back to the pantomimes of primitive hunters and the rhythmic chants of ancient storytellers. As civilizations developed, drama took different forms.

Western drama began in Greece in the sixth century, when choruses called goat singers chanted the goat-song, or tragos, during sacrificial ceremonies honoring the Greek god Dionysus. These ceremonies evolved into dramatic contests, and then the contests became part of a theatrical festival. Greek tragedies involve conflicts that evolve from the clash between the will of the gods and the ambitions and desires of humanity. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, who wrote in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C., are considered the greatest writers of Greek tragedy. Aristophanes and Meander are considered great Greek comedic playwrights. Roman drama largely imitated Greek drama. Plautus and Terence were two notable writers of Roman comedy. Seneca was Rome's most famous tragedian.

Medieval drama was heavily didactic and religious in form. Saint and Mystery plays became popular forms of Christian drama performed in churches. Saint plays are based on legends of saints. Mystery plays are based on biblical history. The Passion Play addresses the last week of Christ's life. Secular dramas called folk dramas developed simultaneously with the liturgical dramas. Folk dramas began in twelfth-century England and were performed outside during planting or harvest time. By the fifteenth century, the Catholic Church was presenting Morality plays, which teach the difference between right and wrong in the context of the devil and God battling for souls. Secular presentations of Moral Interludes were shorter than Morality plays and included more humorous characters and incidents.

Great developments in stage equipment and sets occurred during the Renaissance, or rebirth. Also, opera and commedia dell'arte were first performed in Italy during this time. Professional troupes specializing in comic improvisations performed commedia dell'arte, or comic scenarios often using stock characters. Theater flourished in other parts of Europe, such as France and Spain, producing important playwrights such as Cervantes and Molière. The climax of Renaissance drama came from England during the Elizabethan Age, when Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and William Shakespeare produced works that have never lost their appeal. After the Elizabethan Age, drama declined in England. All theater was banned for eighteen years until the Restoration in 1660. Plays written by William Wycherley and William Congreve during the Restoration are still performed today. Drama began to flourish in much of Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when playwrights such as Goethe in Germany and Bernard Shaw of Ireland explored new ideas through theater.

Chinese drama, which dates to A.D. 200, began with rituals that combined song, dance, gestures, and costumes. Peking Opera developed early in the nineteenth century and incorporates aspects of historical drama, spoken drama, song drama, dance drama, and ballet. Three forms of drama are uniquely Japanese: No, Bunraku, and Kabuki. Actor Zeami Motokiyo created No in the fourteenth century to be performed for nobility. No rhythmically coordinates words, dance, and music to the events of a story, which is often taken from classical Japanese literature. Bunraku, developed in the late 1600s, uses puppets, chanting, and music in its performances. In the seventeenth century, Kabuki developed as a form of entertainment for the general population. It borrows from many Japanese drama styles, including Noand Bunraku.

Although American theater began as an imitation of British theater, the United States eventually became a home for innovative theater and playwrights such as Lorraine Hansberry and Eugene O'Neill. During the twentieth century, American playwrights wrote in earnest about problems of American society and began to reflect the diverse cultures of Americans.