WHAT IS DRAMA?

In simple definition, a drama is a story enacted on stage before an audience. Since it is a story, a drama (or
more commonly called nowadays as ‘play’) is technically a piece of writing. However, a drama is exclusively
presented through an element called ‘dialogue’.

The word ‘drama’ comes from the Greek word ‘dran’ meaning ‘to act or to do.’ Unlike a short story or
novel, a drama is meant to be performed by actors and actresses for an audience. Dramas are performed for theaters,
televisions, films and also on radio. A drama is written by a person called ‘playwright’ in a form called ‘script’ and
the story is told through the dialogues of the characters played by actors and actresses.

Many literary scholars consider drama as one of the best literary forms. This is based on the fact that
playwrights can directly speak to their audience and can receive feedback from the audiences instantly. Playwrights
use the characters in the drama as means to express their thoughts and values just like what poets do with their
personas in their poems and what the novelists do with their narrators.

TYPES OF DRAMA

Drama dates back to ancient Greece. It was through these ancient

Greeks’ theatrical culture, specifically the Athenians, where three of the
major types of drama was derived: comedy, tragedy, and the satyr. During
those ancient times, dramas were considered as part of their religious
festivities in honor of the god Dionysus.

Also, the two famous masks which have become a common icon to
represent theater and drama in modern times, were actually derived from the
ancient Greek drama. The smiling mask represents the Greek Muse Thalia,
the Muse of Comedy. On the other hand, the crying mask represents Greek
Muse Melpomene,, the Muse of Tragedy.

There are many forms of dramas and below are some of the popular types of dramas together with their
corresponding concepts and definitions.

1. Tragedy
A tragedy is a drama that ends unhappily for the protagonist, opposite of the idea that heroes in tragedies
always die at the end. Though most tragic dramas include heroes who suffer from extreme and unimaginable
experiences no one would want, not all heroes in tragic dramas die.

Tragedies typically show human limitations against the forces of destiny and one of these limitations is the
inability to realize a situation where the protagonist might find himself later at a disadvantage, until the realization
comes later, and everything is already too late.

Common themes of tragic dramas include the ordeals in a disaster, extreme pain, and the blows of death. The
protagonist, referred to technically as ‘tragic hero’ often has a tragic flaw. This characteristic leads the tragic hero to
its downfall as revealed before the denouement. However, though the tragic hero suffers from a tragic flaw, the
character is of noble breed and is admirable in many ways.

Tragedy, being a drama, aims to awaken pity and fear among the audience. With all its turn of events, no
matter how light or gruesome they may be as the plot unfolds, tragic dramas convey human behaviors for audience
not to imitate. One of the best examples of tragic heroes is Hamlet, the tragic hero in the tragedy ‘Hamlet’ by the
English playwright William Shakespeare

2. Comedy

In its simple definition, a comedy is a drama that ends happily for the protagonist. This is exactly the
opposite of a tragedy. In addition, the element of humor is one thing that makes it distinct from that of the tragedy.

The plot of a comedy usually centers on a romantic conflict, hence there is the presence of a love story
within the drama. The main characters in a comedy could be anyone, from nobility down to commoners. There are
comic complications (the humor element, hence the term ‘comedy’) that usually occur before the conflict of the
drama is resolved. In most cases, the play ends with a wedding.

Protagonists in a comedy – the lovers – are caught in a dilemma caused by other characters. But they come
to realize a solution (after much comic complications and adventures) which will eventually lead to the happy ending
for the both of them.
 Comedy aims to awaken from the audience sympathy to the heroes and heroins and ridicule to the
antagonists. This type of drama usually shows ideal behavior for audience to imitate.

3. Tragicomedy

This type of drama combines the characteristics of a comedy and a tragedy. Despite of all the tragic events
that had happened, the story still ends happily for the protagonist.

Tragicomedy serves the purpose of delivering a commentary on a society’s decaying moral fibers, human
behavior, and practices in a humorous fashion. Hence, it sounds funny yet the tragic part is the sarcasm of the entire
story of the drama.

Tragicomedy drama came up as a result of the mindset that sometimes laughter is the only medicine we have
for the headache caused by unpleasant circumstances.

4. Farce

A farce is a nonsensical form of drama and is considered a type of a comedy. It is usually full of
exaggerations and characterized by the use of slapstick humor or boisterous actions, physical humor, deliberate
absurdity, and obvious jokes. These are elements that usually make the audience laugh in a farce. What makes a
farce entirely different is the mere fact that it only aims at making the audience laugh.

History has it that in ancient Greek theater, especially during staging of tragic dramas, audiences were given
short “satyr play” in between. These ‘in-between’ plays used crude yet effective forms of humor usually filled with
sexually explicit jokes and physical comedy. In return, audience get comic relief ‘in-between’ the heavy emotional
impact of the tragedies. Most literary scholars acknowledge this to be the forerunner of modern farces which
probably evolved out of these Greek satyr plays.

5. Melodrama

Melodrama is an exaggerated form of drama. The melodrama is also referred to as sentimental drama. Its
plot revolves around the hardships suffered by a virtuous character at the hands of the villainous character (or
characters). The story ends though with the virtuous character triumphant.

Stock characters are common in melodramas. The use of noble hero, a heroine in distress, and murderous
villains are common in melodramas. What makes melodramas exciting to watch though is not actually the characters
you see on stage but rather on the spectacular staging of incidents together with all the music and singing. These
elements make melodramas wonderful to watch on stage.

The staging of melodramas started to decline in the early 20th century with the growing popularity of
television and motion pictures. However, melodramas have taken a new form making its way into the contemporary
TV dramas we have today.

6. Musical Drama

This type of drama takes advantage of the power of music. Instead of pure dialogue and acting, the musical
drama (or musical play or simply musical) makes use of dancing and singing to tell a story.

This type of drama was first advanced by Richard Wagner in mid-1800s as an offshoot of the traditional
Opera. But in today’s modern times, musicals have become the more favored type among all other types of dramas
on stage.

The 20th century drama brought forth more extravagant and fabulous stagings of musicals and the Broadway
in New York have become a favorite place to watch musicals like Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, West Side
Story, Matilda, Miss Saigon, Rent and many more. Moreover, musicals have also started dominating the televisions
and film industry in the early 21st century and one of the most popular to ever hit the screen is the three-part musical
entitled “High School Musical.”