English III: Types of Drama

Study Notes

English III: British and American Drama

Course: English III: British and American Drama
Course Code: A040301T
Level: B.A. II Year, Semester III
Syllabus: National Education Policy, 2020 Based

Unit I: Drama Types

Tragedy: A serious genre of drama with a tragic ending.
Comedy: A humorous genre of drama with a happy ending.
Tragicomedy: A genre that combines elements of both tragedy and comedy often with a bittersweet ending.
Expressionist Drama: A highly symbolic and stylized form of drama focused on internal experiences and emotions, often with distorted settings and non-realistic characters.
Drama of Ideas: A form of drama focused on exploring complex philosophical or social themes and ideas.
Poetic Drama: Characterized by lyrical language and elevated themes, often with a strong focus on poetry and poetic techniques.
Closet Drama: Written to be read rather than performed on stage.
The Problem Play: A drama that addresses social or political issues, often in a critical or provocative light.
Theatre of Absurd: A form of drama that rejects traditional dramatic structures and seeks to portray the absurdity of human existence and the meaninglessness of the world.

Unit II: Elements of Drama

Authorial Intrusion: The author directly addresses the audience or comments on the events in the play.
Cacophony: The use of harsh, jarring sounds or dissonance in dialogue or stage effects.
Circumlocution: The use of roundabout or indirect language to avoid being direct.
Conflict: The struggle or clash between opposing forces within the play, such as characters, ideas, or desires.
Diction: The choice of words and phrasing used by the playwright.
Epilogue: A concluding section in a play that comes after the main action has ended.
Epithet: A descriptive term or phrase that is associated with a particular character, place, or thing.
Euphemism: The use of a mild or indirect term to substitute for a more blunt or offensive one.
Euphony: The use of pleasing or harmonious sounds in dialogue or stage effects.
Malapropism: The humorous misusing of words to create a nonsensical phrase.

Unit III: Literary Terms (Drama)

Flashback: A scene that interrupts the chronological order of the play to show an event that happened earlier in time.
Foil: A character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight their traits or qualities.
Foreshadowing: Hints or clues that suggest what might happen later in the play.
Hubris: Excessive pride or arrogance, often leading to a character's downfall.
Motif: A recurring theme, image, or idea that appears throughout the play.
Nemesis: A character or force that brings about another character's downfall.
Prologue: A section that comes before the main action of the play, providing background information or setting the scene.

Unit IV: Literary Terms (Drama)

Unity of Time, Place and Action: A traditional principle of drama that strives for a sense of unity by setting the play within a single time period, in a single place, and with a single plotline.
Setting: The time, place, and atmosphere of the play.
Spoonerism: A humorous verbal error in which the first sounds of two words are swapped.
Stage Direction: Instructions for the actors and director, telling them how to move, speak, and interact with the stage.
Syntax: The grammatical structure of sentences in dialogue.
Theme: The central idea, message, or topic of the play.
Understatement: A statement that makes something seem less important or serious than it actually is.
Verisimilitude: The appearance of truth or realism in a play.

Unit V: British Drama

William Shakespeare: King Lear (Play)
Context: King Lear is a tragedy that explores themes of power, family, loyalty, and madness.

Unit VI: British Drama

G.B. Shaw: Arms and the Man (Play)
Oliver Goldsmith: She Stoops to Conquer (Play)
Context: Both plays are comedies that address social conventions and societal expectations.

Unit VII: American Drama

T.S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral (Play)
Context: Murder in the Cathedral is a poetic drama that explores the themes of faith, power, and martyrdom.

Unit VIII: American Drama

Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire (Play)
Arthur Miller: The Price (Play)
Context: Both plays are dramas that explore themes of desire, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.

Description

This quiz explores the various types of drama studied in English III, focusing on genres such as tragedy, comedy, and expressionist drama. Test your understanding of these dramatic forms and their unique characteristics. Prepare to delve into the rich landscape of British and American drama!