Varieties of Drama

1. Varieties of Drama

2. Varieties of Drama • Plays fall into types of categories • Tragedy and comedy are the two chief divisions of drama; all plays may be arbitrarily be placed within the definitions of tragedy and comedy. • None of these divisions is absolute or entirely separate and overlapping is quite common. • Classification is further complicated by a consideration of the style in which a play may be written.

3. Tragedy • A tragedy is a play in which the protagonist fails to achieve desired goals or is overcome by opposing forces. • Tragedies are based on profound emotions that transcend time and place. • Strong emotions: love, hate, ambition, jealousy, and revenge. • Audience is to empathize with tragic figures.

4. Tragedy • Protagonist is a “better then average person” • Pathos: is the power to arouse feelings of pity and compassion in an audience.

5. Comedy • Comedies are usually light, written with clever dialogue, and peopled with amusing characters who are involved in funny situations that they solve by their wit, their charm, and sometimes by sheer good fortune. • Comedy does not always make you laugh, but most will amuse delight or please you.

6. Comedy • Protagonist is a “less then average person” • Protagonist overcomes opposing forces, and achieves desired goals • Comedy is built around character, situations, or dialogue.

7. Tragedy vs. Comedy TragedyComedy • Inevitable Predictable • Emotional Intellectual • Protagonist is better Protagonists is less average person average person • Protagonist fails to Protagonist achieves achieve goals goals

8. Cause of Laughter • Exaggeration: Almost every character, line, or situation must be at least slightly exaggerated in order to be funny. May also be applied to physical characteristic, such as a bulbous nose or buck teeth. • Incongruity: Anything that seems out of place, out of time, or out of character. examples: Unnatural sounds, twist, reversal, irrelevant.

9. Cause of Laughter • Anticipation: The looking forward to a potential laugh. • Ambiguity: Double meaning, puns and word play depends upon the audience’s recognizing the possible interpretations. • Recognition: Discovering hidden or obscure meaning. • Protection: Cruel, violent, grotesque, and abusive actions, events often cause laugher when the audience is under the protection of know that things are not really happening.

10. Causes of Laughter • Relief: The relief of pressure, such as comic relief in a tragedy.