Conventions of Drama

A detailed Summary of Conventions of Drama

Through the centuries, the conventions of drama have been altered in many different ways. These conventions are the setting, plot, characters and staging. The main factor which has been a dominant force during the changes of conventions has been the society. The society present during the time in which a play was written had a direct influence on the plot and characters. This is because drama is defined as a representation of life.

Four plays which have been selected from Greek, Elizabethan, Restoration and Modern times can be analysed to show and represent the changes of drama. These plays are "Oedipus the King", "Macbeth", "The Way of the World" and "A Doll's House".

The early origins of drama came from the Greek. Drama in Greece,450BC was not readily available to the society. Plays were only put on twice a year during great religious celebrations. At these festivals, where the plays were performed competitively, the main focus of theme was about the Gods. These Gods were superior to everyone and represented wealth and power. The fact that they were immortal signified their importance and dominance. Greek drama was also based on the aspects of tragedy and dramatic irony. The tragedy meant that the play often ended with

means of interpretation to the audience. Besides the chorus speaking in patterned verse, the dialogue of Greek plays were in everyday prose.

a noble person being destroyed by the Gods. The noble person was led by his own downfalls or flaws which often resulted in his death. This is evident in the story of "Oedipus the King" where Oedipus tries to outwit the prophecy which the Gods predicted, but fails to do so and ends up in exile. The interesting technique of the dramatic irony in Greek plays meant that the audience had prior knowledge of the play and knew the events that will

By the eighteenth century, drama had changed yet again during the restoration period. This time, the focus had shifted from royalty and drama was now based on the upper class society. The plays written during the restoration period were all to do with dramatic irony and comedy of manners. This type of comedy meant that the main issues dealt with during the play were concerned with up-to-date dress and fashion standards as well as the behaviour of men and women under the new code of permissiveness. The code of permissiveness which prevailed that society was able to do basically anything they pleased, came about with the restoration of Charles II to the throne. As a result in the change of throne, the attitudes of characters became more carefree. The characters in the play "The Way of the World" are all constructed as witty and cynical, adopting a worldly attitude to marriage. This is because after joking around and laying terms on what a married life is going to be like, a business man gets the better end of the deal and gains all his new-wives money. A new type of theatre called for a new type of staging, so the staging of restoration theatre took place in an indoor venue which was artificially lit. The stage was totally separated from the audience by a framework called the proscenium arch. A new feature to this stage was the addition of curtains. When a curtain was raised or opened it signified the beginning of a scene or act, but if the curtain was lowered or shut, it symbolised the end. Those attending the restoration plays tended only to be people from the royal court and upper class society where the pleasure-loving lords and ladies wanted to be noticed. Often servants of royalty would attend but would be seated in the upper most balcony. The reason for the lower classes not attending were that they simply could not afford it and did not particularly enjoy the subject of the plays. Another major change which came out of restoration theatre was that the roles of women were finally played by real women. However, it was the uneducated middle class women who played these roles because it was still considered unacceptable for women to act.

gestures were made to be larger-than-life and over-emphasised. Another important and unique aspect to Greek t

Some common words found in the essay are:
King Oedipus, Doll's House, Charles II, Gods Elizabethan, Macbeth Elizabethan, Gods Gods, , Drama Greece450BC, Macbeth Macbeth, Restoration Modern, modern theatre, elizabethan theatre, upper class, society play, plays written, restoration period, dramatic irony, society play written, watching plays, theatre called, lower classes, middle class women, upper class society,

Approximate Word count = 1921
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English