How-to-Appreciate-English-Drama

HowtoAppreciateEnglishDramaPresentedbyLiuZhenContentsWhatisdrama?TheClassificationsofDramaElementsofDramaTheDevelopmentofEnglishDramaAnAppreciationofShakespeare'sHamletSuggestionsonReadingDramaWhatisDrama?TheworddramacomesfromtheGreekverbdran,meaning“toperform.”Whenwespeakdrama,wemeanastoryindialogueperformedbyactors,onastage,beforeanaudience---inotherwords,aplay.Wealsousethetermdramainamoregeneralsensetorefertotheliterarygenrethatencompassesallwrittenplaysandtotheprofessionofwriting,producing,andperformingplays.TheClassificationsofDramaTragedy:Atypeofdramainwhichthecharactersexperiencereversalsoffortune,usu.fortheworse.Intragedycatastropheandsufferingawaitmanyofthecharacters,esp.thehero.Comedy:Atypeofdramainwhichthecharactersexperiencereversalsoffortune,usu.forthebetter.Incomedythingsworkouthappilyintheend.Tragicomedy:atypeofplaythatcontainselementsofbothtragedyandcomedy.Themostimportantagentsintragicomedyincludedbothpeopleofhighdegreeandpeopleoflowdegree.AristotleonTragedy“Tragedy,then,isanimitationofanactionthatisserious,complete,andofacertainmagnitude;inlanguageembellishedwithkindofartisticornament,theseveralkindsbeingfoundinseparatepartsoftheplay;intheformofaction,notofnarrative;throughpityandfeareffectingtheproperpurgationoftheseemotions.”----ThePoeticsPartVIThedefinitionfurtherexplained:Thisdefinitionsuggeststhattragediesaresolemnplaysconcernedwithgravehumanactionsandtheirconsequences.Tragicplaysendsorrowfully,oftenwiththedeathofthehero.Theyhighlightlife'ssorrowsandaretypicallybroodingandsolemn.Aristotlesuggestedthatthepityandfeararousedintheaudiencearepurgedorreleasedandtheaudienceexperiencesacleasingofthoseemotionsandasenseofreliefwhentheactionisover.亚里士多德对悲剧的定义“悲剧是对一个严肃、完整、有一定长度的行动的摹仿；它的媒介是语言，具有各种悦耳之音，分别在剧中的各部分使用；摹仿方式是借人物的动作来表达，而不是采用叙述法；借引起怜悯与恐惧来使这种情感得到陶冶”。ElementsofEnglishDramaPlotistheunifiedarrangementoftheincidentsoftheplay.Byarrangementofincidents,adramatistmaycreatesuspense,evokelaughter,causeanxietyorelicitsurprise.Suspenseiscreatedbyconflict.Dramaisessentiallythedevelopmentandresolutionofconflicts.CharactersThevitalcenterofaplayThehumanqualitiesarethemostengagingfeature.Dramalivesintheencounterofcharacters,anditsessenceishumanrelationships,thethingsmenandwomensayanddotoeachother.ElementsofEnglishDramaDialogueMajorfunctions:toadvanceplot;toestablishsetting;andtorevealcharacter.Soliloquyisadramaticspeechutteredbyonecharacterspeakingaloudwhilealoneonthestage(orwhileundertheimpressionofbeingalone).SoliloquiesoftenappearinplaysfromtheageofShakespeare,notablyinhisHamletandMacbeth.ThebestknownofalldramaticsoliloquiesisHamlet'sspeechwhichbeginsTobeornottobe.ElementsofEnglishDramaStagingthingsasthepositionsofactorsonstage,theirnonverbalgesturesandmovements,thescenicbackgroud,thepropsandcostumes,thelightingandsoundeffects.Someplaywrights,likeShakespeare,provideonlyscantsuggestionsforaction.Themeisitscentralideaormeaning.Itisverylikelythataplaywillincludemorethanonetheme.TheDevelopmentofEnglishDramaPartone:Britishdrama1)FromthebeginningtoShakespeare2)WilliamShakespeareandhiscontemporaries:ChristopherMarlowe,BenJonson3)Restoration(thereturnofCharlesIItobecomeKingofEnglandin1660,andperiodafterwards王政复辟)andtheEighteenthCentury：RichardBrinsleySheridan理查德·布林斯利·夏里丹TheBirthofJesusChrist,Noah’sArkRepresentativePlaywrightsinEnglishDramaTheDevelopmentofEnglishDramas4)Thenineteenthcentury:OscarWilde5)Thetwentiethcentury:BernardShawParttwo:Americandrama1)1916:EugeneO’Neill2)1940s:ArthurMiller阿瑟·米勒DeathofaSalesmanDramaintheRenaissancePeriodTheMiraclePlay:the‘miracles”weresimplyplaysbasedonBiblestories,suchasthecreationoftheworld,Noahandtheflood,thebirthofChrist.TheMoralityPlay:amoralityrepresentedtheconflictofgoodandevilwithallegoricalpersonages,suchasMercy,Peace,Hateandsoon.TheInterlude:ashortperformanceslippedintoaplaytoenliventheaudienceafterasolemnscene.E.g.:“ThePlayoftheWeather”DramaintheRenaissancePeriodTheClassicalDrama:contactwithGreekandLatindrama.Comedy:“GammerGurton’sNeedle”(1562);tragedy:“Gorboduc”(1562)TheaboveplaysweretheformsofdramaprevailinguntilthereignofElizabeth.ThePlaywrights:UniversityWitsAgroupofmenofletterswhowroteforthestageofthe16thcentury,e.g.,Lyly,Marlowe,Greene,etc,whowereallofhumblebirthandstruggledforalivelihoodbywriting.Theyenteredthedramaticcirclebetweentheyears1587-93.Theywerehardworkers,revisingoldplaysandwrotenewone;makingrapidprogressindramatictechnique,lookeddownuponbythegentlemenandsuspectedbythegovernment.Amongthem,ChristopherMarlowewasthemostfamousone.Majorplaywrights:ChristopherMarlowe(1564-1593)thefirstgreatEnglishdramatistthemostindividualandmostsuggestiveElizabethanplaywrightbeforeShakespeare.thefatherofEnglishtragedyByrevealingthepossibilitiesforstrengthandvarietyofexpressioninblankverse,MarlowehelpedtoestablishtheverseformasthepredominantforminEnglishdrama.HeexpressedthehumanistidealsabouttheinfinitecapabilitiesofMan,inthedesireforpower,knowledgeandmoney.ThegloryoftheElizabethandramadatesfromhisTamburlainetheGreat.Re