History of

Drama
By: Group 1

Drama: Definition
Dram
a

As text
text
As
As performance
performance
As

Drama is the imitation (representation / re-creation) of an

action (an underlying motif that gives meaning to what
happens)
-Aristotle

Dram
a

Greek
action/to
do
Literary form
involving
parts for
actors to
perform
Live
performance
, film or TV

VS

Theatr
e

Greek
theathai/to
see
Performing
arts
concerned
with acting
out stories
in front of
audience

Greek & Roman Drama

Drama originates back in ancient Greece.
How it originated remains obscure.
th
Through 5th
century BCE, drama was
institutionalized onto competitions as part
of festivities to celebrate God Dionysus.

The expansion of Roman republic into

Greek territories caused Rome to
encountered the Greeks drama. ( 509- 27
BCE)
Roman reworked the Greek originals;
making it more extensive, varied and
sophisticated.

Let The Woman Speak

1 7 tt hh C e n t u r y
The world of drama belonged to men.

Shakespeares plays
Even these, were performed by the male casts.

Mid of 1600s
A few pioneering women began to pave the way for
women in the theatre.

Aphra Behn
Was the first professional English woman playwright.

The Rise of Comedy: The Roman

Empire
Dark ages

Po p u l a r
during
Easter
Services

Drama
extinct

P re s e n t
the
Pa s s i o n
Play

Christian
opposed
theatre

The
church
feels
responsibl
e

Theatre Returns
The
The
Renaissance
Renaissance
saw aa huge
huge
saw
resurgence in
in
resurgence
all types
types of
of art,
art,
all
including
including
theatre.
theatre.
Commedia
Commedia
Dell'arte
Dell'arte
(Italian
(Italian
Comedy)
Comedy)
flourished and
and
flourished
Elizabethan
Elizabethan
playhouse
playhouse
opened.
opened.

Developed aa
Developed
structure and
and
structure
characters
characters
that are
are still
still
that
common in
in
common
modern
modern
dramas.
dramas.
Shakespeare
Shakespeare
was one
one of
of the
the
was
first to
to weave
weave
first
comedic
comedic
elements into
into
elements
tragedies.
tragedies.

Romanticism
Towards the
end of the
century, the
Romantic
period began.

It influenced
the theatre.

Romanticism
led to Realism
during the
19th century

Focus:
emotion,
rather than
intellect

Paving the
way for the
era of
contemporary
drama in the
20th century

Realism
By the 20th century,
realism was already
established as a
prominent concept in
theatre and arts

Unlike romance,
realism was focused
on intellect rather
than emotion

Contemporary drama
in New York and
London grew high on
demand

Tom Stoppard, Sam

Shepard and David
Mamet were few of
the many playwrights
who involved realism
as a concept in their
work