por We explain what the dramatic genre is, its origin, characteristics, subgenres, elements, structure, and authors and representative works
What is the dramatic genre?
He drama It is a work of fiction initially represented before spectators, in which characters interact and a story or event is developed using dialogues, narrations, performances and with the use of other scenic resources (lights, music, scenery, etc.).
Depending on the bias, content and ending, a drama can be a tragedy or a comedy, although it is currently more associated with works of a tragic or serious nature. The dramatic genre ranges from Greek tragedies to the series and movies we see in streamingand also includes subgenres such as comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, drama, opera, farce, etc.
Despite its representative nature, drama as a literary genre differs from theater by being restricted to the written text, while theater involves other aspects such as staging, set design, and format (theatre, cinema, TV series). A play can have multiple versions, such as, Hamlet, a tragedy that has had countless versions in theater, film and television.
historical origin
The representation of mythical, religious or legendary stories is present in various cultures around the world, but when we talk about the dramatic genre, we do so to refer to the forms of theatrical expression that emerged in Greece and Rome.
The representation of works of fiction in the form of tragedies and comedies was born in Greece associated with the cult of Dionysus. From there it evolved to more complex and elaborate forms by authors of tragedy such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and by authors of comedies such as Aristophanes, between the 6th and 5th centuries BC The Romans also made great contributions to this genre, especially in the comedy.
During the Middle Ages, the so-called sacramental plays appear, popular representations of scenes from the Gospel, which create the conditions for the appearance of other dramatic forms, such as opera in Italy (the drama associated with music), Elizabethan theater, theater Spanish and the comedy of French authors such as Molière.
It is worth noting that the first known play in Spanish is the Car of the Magian incomplete and anonymous work from the end of the 12th century.
Characteristics of the dramatic genre
Fiction to be represented
Dramas are literary texts created to be performed by actors and actresses before an audience. Although they may be inspired by historical or real events, they are fictional texts.
It is representation and not narration
The dramatic forms are very varied and appeal to all kinds of resources, but they all coincide in not narrating the story, but in represent her. The story is “lived”, or staged, by actors and actresses.
Themes and plots
From mythological dramas and comedy of manners to love stories, struggles for power or political satire, the dramatic genre has approached all topics of human interest from different perspectives.
writing and style
Although today many plays are read, such as Greek tragedies, Shakespeare’s plays or the theater of the Spanish Golden Age, they are written to be represented, so a dramatic text is usually full of technical indications, and structured in a certain way.
The text or theatrical script has evolved into even more schematic and technical forms, such as the film script.
Subgenres of the dramatic genre
Tragedy
Classic genre in which a human character, usually of the heroic type, is faced with a situation that causes his downfall. Greek tragedy, mother of this form, was inspired above all by figures from its mythology and Homeric literature.
Comedy
Representation of humorous situations, or from a satirical point of view. This genre thrived as a way to criticize customs, or to question those who held political or religious power.
Tragicomedy
It is a work that combines tragic and comic elements, thus approaching real life, although in its beginnings it combined mortal characters with gods.
Side dish
Short piece, generally comic, which was inserted in the intermissions of longer works. It developed especially in the Spanish theater of the 16th century.
Melodrama
It is a genre that developed in the 17th century, which emphasized sentimental plots, which in turn were supported by music. The melodrama is aimed at provoking a sentimental reaction in the viewer.
Forms such as opera, zarzuela, radio soap opera and soap opera belong to melodrama, and it is present in other dramatic expressions of cinema and television.
Farce
A satirical and humorous genre, generally of short duration, and in which qualities or defects are exaggerated, presenting cartoonish characters.
farce
It replaced the hors d’oeuvre in the 18th century, and was generally a traditional and popular piece, intended to entertain during intermissions.
Part
Dramatic form that emerged in the 19th century to deal with contemporary issues. It is contemporary drama, with a strong emphasis on the psychology of the characters, and on philosophical and political aspects of current life.
Elements of the dramatic genre
plot or argument
It is the story or narrative represented by the drama in general and found in the literary text. Indicates how the action unfolds.
dialogues
The representation is carried out through the interaction of the different characters, which they do above all through words. Dialogue is one of the essential forms of the dramatic genre.
monologues and soliloquies
They are the moments in which a character develops an idea or reflection without interacting with other actors. There are dramatic pieces that are just a monologue, often directed at the audience.
Voice-over, backing vocals
It is the equivalent of the voice of the narrator or the author in the dramatic genre. This function was fulfilled by the choir in the Greek theatre, which commented and gave an opinion on the actions of the characters, and is also, for example, the voice-over present above all in “noir” or crime films.
Characters
They are those who carry out the action and around which the drama as such develops. Normally there are two or three main characters or protagonists, one that acts as a counter figure, and secondary characters that serve as support and background to the main performances.
dimensions
In dramatic texts, the stage directions have the function of indicating the movement of the actors, their entrances and exits, emotions that must be emphasized, intonation, etc.
In the scripts and scripts, to differentiate themselves from the dialogues, the directions are usually in parentheses and with a different font (in italics or italics).
Structure of the dramatic genre
The dramatic genre shares with other literary forms the structure made up of a presentation or introduction, the middle or climax, and the resolution or denouement. To this we must add other forms of its scenic character: the act, the scene, the painting and the intermission.
The act
It is the most important section of a dramatic work (signaled in theaters with the opening or fall of the curtain). A dramatic piece can be made up of several acts or parts, or by a single act.
The scene
An act can be made up of several scenes, which are dramatic units with the same group of actors. There is a change of scene when a new actor enters or leaves, or there is a change of scenery. Scenes are small dramatic units that together constitute an act.
Picture
It refers to the space where the scenes take place. There is a change of painting when the scenery changes.
the intermission
It was the pause between the acts of a dramatic work, but it was also part of the work, serving to mark temporal changes. On the other hand, in the traditional theater the intermissions were occupied by short plays, such as hors d’oeuvres.
Representative works of the dramatic genre and their authors
The oresteiaAeschylus (526-456 BC)
It is a trilogy, three dramatic works: agamemnon, the coephoras and the eumenides, which deal with murders, persecutions and acts of justice that involve the gods. Aeschylus, considered the first great Western dramatist, presented this trilogy in Athens in 458 BC.
King OedipusSophocles (496-406 BC)
The tragedy of a king who unknowingly murders his father and sleeps with his mother, this Sophocles play has had a singular fate in Western culture, becoming associated with psychoanalysis.
The enemy of himself (heautontimorumeans), Terence (185-159 BC)
Terence was a freed slave of Carthaginian origin, author of Greek comedies. From this work comes a phrase that ended up becoming the motto of humanism: «I am a man, nothing human is alien to me.»
Comedy in Rome enjoyed more vitality than tragedy, and is largely the basis of modern comedy.
fuenteovejunaLope de Vega (1562-1635)
Lope de Vega is considered one of the poets and playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age. This piece, divided into three acts, is considered one of his best works, and has an entire town as its protagonist.
The mocker of Seville and stone guestTirso de Molina (1579-1648)
This work presents for the first time in the dramatic genre the figure of Don Juan, a Sevillian nobleman who seduces women. This story has been recreated numerous times since then.
The doctor with sticksMoliere (1622-1673)
Molière is considered the father of the French Comedy and one of the main writers of this language. In this comedy-farce the author makes fun of the medical profession.
Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare (1564-1616)
This work is considered the most famous romantic drama of all time, and was written by an author considered one of the fathers of the English language and one of the most important authors of universal literature.
Doll’s HouseHenrik Ibsen (1828-1906)
It is perhaps the most famous work of this Norwegian playwright, and considered by many critics as one of the first feminist works, although Ibsen did not share that opinion.
A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams (1911-1983)
It is considered one of the most famous works of American drama and narrates the relationship of a southern lady with her brother-in-law, a descendant of poor immigrants.