Dramatic Genres
Genre
• A French word meaning “category” or type
• Reflects the writers point of view towards
the subject
• In Greek drama there were only two
genres: Tragedy and Comedy
Classical
Tragedy and Comedy
Tragedy:
• The protagonist goes down in defeat
• The protagonist is the “hero” of the play
Comedy:
• The protagonist overcomes the obstacle
and achieves his major objective
• Major objective is the character’s spine
Protagonist & Antagonist
• Protagonist: The play’s major character –
the “good guy” or “hero”
• Antagonist: The protagonist’s major
opponent – the “bad guy” or “villain”
• The hero may not be heroic.
Shakespeare’s
Richard III
Popular definition of Drama
• A serious, but not tragic, play dealing with
middle or lower class characters
• Typically has a happy ending
• Also known as a drame bourgeois
Popular definition of Comedy
A light amusing play with a happy ending
“Ladder of Comedy”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comedy of ideas
Comedy of character
Comedy of wit
Comedy of situation
Comedy of pain (slapstick)
The dirty joke, bathroom humor
High Comedy
•
•
•
•
•
•
Subject is serious
Provokes “thoughtful laughter”
Comedy of smiles
Plot is possible and probable
Humor grows out of the character
Usually a realistic portrayal of life
G. B. Shaw
Arms and the Man
Low Comedy
•
•
•
•
•
Objective is “riotous laughter”
Comedy of the belly laugh
Plot is possible, but not probable
Character is dominated by the situation
Requires little or no thought by the
audience
• Believable for the moment
I Love Lucy
Farce
• A wildly humorous play which emphasizes
plot (or situation) over character.
• Low Comedy
Melodrama
• Serious drama with a trivial theme
• Excitement through physical action
Movie Melodrama
DocuDrama
• Dramatization of an actual event
• Uses real names, dates and places
• Often drawn from court transcripts or
committee hearing reports
Music & Theatre
• Opera is entirely sung
• Dance tells a story through music and
movement
• The Musical includes both song and
dialogue