DRAMA

The term drama came from the Greek

word “dran” which means “to
do” or “to act.” Drama is a
composition in prose or poetry that
presents a story told entirely in
dialogue and action. It is written with
the intention of its eventual
performance before an audience.
Drama has a two-fold nature: that
of literature and theater.
Historically, Greek drama began as a religious
worship for the Greek god Dionysus. He is the
Greek god of wine, revelry, and physical
pleasure. He is handsome and vigorous-filled
with the joy of life. He is the “Father of the
Greek Theater.” When grapes were harvested,
the Greeks would hold drama festivals to
celebrate in his honor called “Feast of
Dionysus.” This went on every year and all
people from all walks of life went to see
dramatic performances of great Greek
dramatists and playwrights.
What are the types of Drama?
•Tragedy is a dramatic presentation where the series
of heroic overtures of the protagonist involve misery,
defeat or even death of the hero. These series of
unfortunate events are normally brought about by the
hero himself due to his weakness in character. This is
called “hubris,” a Greek word known as “tragic
flaw” of the protagonist’s character. In the drama, The
World is an Apple, the protagonist Mario’s flaw was
not thinking twice before filching the red, big,
delicious apple which rolled down from the crate. This
single misstep led to series of unfortunate events
causing more misery and trouble not only for him but
for his entire family.
•Comedy is a dramatic presentation where the
opposite of a tragedy’s outcome is presented.
The protagonists victoriously overcome the
odds and the drama ends happily unlike
tragedy’s.
•Melodrama is also known as tragicomedy
where elements of tragedy and comedy are
combined. Like tragedy, it has all the workings
of a protagonist involved in a monumental
fight. However, it presents a protagonist who
emerges victoriously in the end amidst all trials
and struggles similar to a comedy.
•Farce is an exaggerated comedy
which primary aim is to evoke laughter
and presentation of lesson in life as
secondary.
•Social play involves depiction of
social ills and problems commonly seen
in the larger community which aims to
spread awareness among the entire
population.
 What are the
Elements of Drama?
A. Setting identifies the time and place in which the
events occur. It consists of the historical period, the
moment, day and season when the incidents take
place. In your drama analysis, you need to consider the
following:
1. Setting of time is the particular time of the day,
day of the week, month of the year and so on,
depending on what is revealed in the drama or
play.
2. Setting of place is the particular location within an
area where the drama was performed,
a particular locality, or a particular venue
depending on your chosen drama for drama
analysis.
3. Weather condition is the
atmospheric outlook of the time and
place where the drama took place.
Sometimes, it adds a particular element
to the events which transpire as the
drama unfolds.
4. Social condition is the socio-
economic situation the characters are
presented.
B. Characters are the most important
elements of a drama. They are the actors
who perform and deliver the lines which
make the drama engagingly unfold. There
are type of characters which we typically
encounter in a drama presentation. They
are:
1. Protagonist is the primary character
typically identified as the hero.
2. Antagonist is the character who
opposes the protagonist.
3. Foil is a character who is exactly the
opposite of another character whether
primary or secondary character.
4. Dynamic character evolves
5. Static character does not show any
change at all
C. Mood refers to atmosphere exuded
in the drama. This is the prevailing
emotion and outlook felt by the
characters in the entire drama. The
observable mood in the drama The
World is an Apple would be serious and
sad as revealed in the setting and the
lines delivered by the character
themselves.
D. Conflict refers to the struggle or opposing forces involving the
characters in the drama. There types of conflicts evident in the drama,
The World is an Apple. They are:
•Man vs. Man involves a conflict between two or more characters.
In our drama analysis, we have Mario and Gloria as well as Gloria
and Pablo.
•Man vs. Society involves a conflict between a character and the
society as shown with Mario against the warehouse company
which kicked him out of work because he “stole” an apple.
•Man vs. Himself is presented when a character is grossly
involved with a dilemma of which he is normally forced to act
against his will. Mario fights the urge to return to his bad ways of
the past but is contemplating of uplifting his family situation.
•Man vs. God is normally presented as a conflict where a
character is fighting against the superior being (God or Fate)
which normally the character is powerless and completely
overwhelmed.
Theme refers to what the drama is all
about. This element is considered as
the unifying element that defines the
dramatized idea of the play. The
theme is normally presented as a
declarative sentence containing the
entire gist of the drama. Normally, the
theme is dependent on how the
audience perceived and appreciate the
entire drama.
Moral is the lesson the drama wants to
convey. It is the gem of thought which
one may use as a guide. Unlike the
theme, the moral is presented as an
obligatory (imperative).

Example:
“Do not judge the book by its cover.”
Philippine Drama in English During
the Postwar Period (1946–1960)
By the 1940s and 1950s, dramas in
English had been performed on stage
in the Philippines. During that time,
three notable Filipino dramatists
emerged. They were Severino
Montano, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, and
Alberto S. Florentino.
Severino Montano (1915–1980)
established the Arena Theatre at the
Philippine Normal College in 1952. Almost
two hundred performances were staged
there from 1953 to 1964. Among those
performances were the staging of
Montano’s four major dramas,
namely, Parting at
Calamba (1953), Sabina (1953), The Ladies
and the Senator (1953), and The Love of
Leonor Rivera (1954).
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (1910–1995)
was a prolific playwright. He wrote over
a hundred plays; most of them were
staged. His plays portray the educated
middle class. Among his popular works
are Wanted: A Chaperone(1940), The
Three Rats (1948),
and Condemned (1943).