The Stage and the School Chapter 6 Dr. Neighbours Varieties of Drama

2 Recognized varieties of drama: Tragedy Generally end in catastrophes Often have a death at the end Comedy Usually lighthearted Clever dialogue and amusing characters Tragicomedies: Have qualities of both comedy and tragedy “Dramas”: Do not fit the definition of tragedy but are serious in nature

60 Words to Add to Your Cultural Vocabulary…… Allegory Ambiguity Anticlimax Anticipation Aside Avant-garde Burlesque Caricature Catharsis Children’s theatre Comedy Comedy of manners Constructivism Epic Theatre Exaggeration Existentialism Expressionism Fantasy Farce Foreshadowing Hamartia High comedy Hubris Incompletion Incongruity Low comedy Melodrama Monodrama Naturalism Parody

60 Words to Add to Your Cultural Vocabulary……(cont.) Pathos Performance art Plant Play of ideas Presentational Protagonist Protection Psychological drama Puppet theatre Realism Recognition Relief Representational Romantic comedy Romanticism Running gag Satire Schmaltz Screen scene Sentimental comedy Style Stylization Symbolism The “whodunit” Theatre of Involvement Theatre of the Absurd Theatrical conventions Theatricalism Total Theatre Tragedy

PART ONE: COMEDY AND TRAGEDY

Tragedy

About TRAGEDY: Considered to be humanity’s highest literary achievement Sober, thoughtful plays based on proud human emotions and conflicts that do not change with time or place Quality is called transcendence: “transcending time and place” Focus is on a protagonist Character is a significant person engaged in a struggle but ultimately fails Overcome by opposing forces Struggle may be internal or external May be characteristics of the person (internal) or divine or human forces (external) Tragic character has no control

Philosophical guide to Tragedy Philosophy: “The love of Wisdom;” how and why one thinks as he/she does; understanding beyond the tangible Philosophical guide to Tragedy Pathos: meaning pity, sorrow, suffering The quality of the drama that arouses feelings in the audience that include pity and compassion for the tragic protagonist. The inevitable outcome creates this feeling Audiences’ emotions intensify the impact of the events because they can relate to the human quality Catharsis: A sense of release the audience feels when the tragedy ends because the pathos has been purged Audiences obtain a sense of relief

Five Characteristics often Found in Tragic Characters Tragic characters can be significant rulers, such as Macbeth or King Lear, or common citizens like Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman or Blanche DuBois in Streetcar Named Desire Five Characteristics often Found in Tragic Characters They have a flaw or make an error that has serious consequences They make no apology for their actions They set goals based on unyielding beliefs They know that almost everything worth having demands some sacrifice They are willing to make the sacrifice themselves, never asking another to make sacrifices for them

Aristotle's Definition of Tragic Character Found in his work Poetics Aristotle's Definition of Tragic Character An average or better person who, during the course of the play, is brought from happiness to misery Through suffering he/she acquires a sense of awareness of truth, of self, or of others Also becomes alienated and isolated from society His actions that cause the difficulties are brought about by Hamartia: A character weakness or error in judgment Also called tragic flaw Most common form of Hamartia is hubris: Hubris: excessive pride

Tragic comparisons What are the forces that the tragic characters are against? What is the protagonist's weakness? Does the play communicate a sense of inevitability? Hamlet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YHMYkUrV7A Macbeth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaLBfH3o1TU&feature=related

Comedy

About COMEDY: Derived from Greek words komos and ode, meaning “revel song” Usually societal and conciliatory – all the characters come together at the end of the play Even villains There’s a “happy ending” Often depends on circumstance unique to a particular time and place, most enduring have transcendence Built around character, situations, and dialogue Some bring great laughs Some only cause inner smiles Comedy is not always funny, but is always amusing, delighting, or at least please an audience Protagonist overcomes opposing forces or achieves desired goals or both Protagonist is often less-than-average person Protagonist may be an idealist, a romantic, an extreme pragmatist, a blunderer, a dreamer, or even a rogue

Tragedy versus Comedy Tragedy Comedy Inevitable – there is no way to change or to stop the outcome Universal theme and appeal Emotional Protagonist fails to achieve goals Protagonist alienate from society Protagonist average or better Protagonist falls from leadership, losing respect dreams, position Predictably unpredictable – you can expect the unlikely Often time and place oriented Intellectual, mental Protagonist achieves goals Protagonist often becomes leader of new society, even villain is usually accepted Protagonist less than average Protagonist achieves success, often as a result of own mistakes or shortcomings Tragedy Comedy

What makes people laugh? What is funny today may not be tomorrow Sometimes we laugh out of embarrassment Sometimes we laugh for no reason at all What is humorous in one city may not be in another

7 common causes of laughter: Exaggeration Overstatements Overstated physicality's Personality types Incongruity Anything that seems out of place, out of time, or out of character Comes in many forms – unnatural action, a test or turn of events, or the irrelevant Anticipation The looking forward to a potential laugh Sight gags Plays roll in “mistaken identity” humor Techniques: Plants or foreshadowing, running gag, incompletion Plants: an idea, line, or action emphasized early in play, also called foreshadowing Running gag: a minimum of three exposures to the plant Incompletion: a line or bit of action is started but never finish; audience completes with laughter

7 common causes of laughter: Ambiguity Double meaning, puns, word play Recognition Discovering hidden or obscure meanings Audience is amused to recognize the meanings Protection Cruel, violent, grotesque, and abusive actions and events cause laughter because the audience is protected by knowing these things are not real and are not damaging as they seem Examples are found in most cartoons Relief A build in pressure and then releases it This would be like catharsis in tragedy Relief of pressure is humorous when the pent-up emotions are allowed to explode in laughter