Origin of Drama
The word drama comes from the Greek verb “dran” which means ‘to act’ or to perform. Many scholars trace the origin of drama to wordless actions like ritual dances and mimes performed by dancers, masked players or priests during traditional festivals or ceremonies. One account traces the origin to ritual. In the traditional society or in the primordial times, sometimes, the seasons did not come as expected. When this happened, men felt that they had offended the gods, so they devised means of appeasing these gods. That act of appeasing the gods is what we refer to as ritual. This ritual, as expected, involved a ceremony in which the priest played an important role at a designated location, mostly shrines. The priest would normally wear a special dress for the occasion. That role, the dress (costume), and the utterance or incantations are regarded as dramatic elements. Drama could therefore emerge from this. So, if it is presented for entertainment and there is an element of impersonation, imitation of an action, and re-enactment of an action, it is drama. Another account traces the origin to man’s desire for entertainment. Here, during festivals or other ceremonies, they recreate the feats of some legendary or mythical heroes to entertain the people.
Scholars are divided on the origin of drama. Some trace the origin to Greece but others insist that drama in its definitive form or pattern evolved from Egypt which is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization in the world. The latter group argues that it was borrowed by western merchants who developed and documented it, and who now trace the origin to Greece. However, the account of tracing the origin of drama to Greece is more plausible. The evolution is clearer and well-documented.
Apparently, Greek drama evolved from religious festivals (ritual) that were celebrated to ensure the fertility of the land and the wellbeing of its people. These festivals were connected with the worship of the god Dionysius, a native god who like the vegetation dies and was reborn each year. The festival involved singing and dancing by a chorus of fifty men. The choral song, known as Dithyramb, was sang in honour of the god. The men danced around the altar of Dionysius in a circular dancing place called orchestra. Sometimes a story about the god was improvised by the leader of the chorus, though remaining part of the chorus. Sometimes he dresses like a character from mythology. At this stage, individual actors were not involved in the performances.
The dramatist, Thepsis, is believed to have been the first person to introduce the individual actor and the element of impersonation in the 6th century B.C. During a particular performance, he stood out from the chorus and instead of singing in the honour of the god, he sang as the god. He performed between the dances of the chorus and he conversed at times with the leader of the chorus. Thus drama was literally born. Thepsis, therefore appeared as the first actor, and when he broke away from the chorus, he added the dramatic potential of impersonation.
It is impersonation, because, instead of describing the god, Dionysius, or his actions, he pretended to be the god. Thus the performance changed from poetry performance to drama. Aeschylus added the second actor and this gave drama a new thrust forward because the additional actor enabled the dramatist to show in action a dramatic conflict rather than talk about it. Sophocles’ addition of the third actor further enlarged the scope of the dramatist and provided him with the means of complicating his plot and devising more complex structural arrangement of his action. It is important to note here that speech is not of essence in drama because it could be presented without words or without the accompaniment of music/dance.
The important feature of drama is communication. It induces a personal communication and an immediate experience between the actor and the audience. This makes drama a concrete art and the message is immediate and direct. It is concrete because you can see the actors performing and presenting a life-like story which affects you positively or negatively and you re-act immediately. Accordingly, drama exists in both oral and literary traditions.
In this course, we will concentrate more on the literary tradition,i.e. the written drama. The text is called a play and the writer is called a playwright. However, we will make reference to drama as performance on stage from time to time because it is difficult to separate the two in the study of dramatic literature.
3.2 The Nature of Drama
You learnt in unit one that drama has a unique nature. It has developed and been improved upon by various dramatists over the ages. It has also been influenced by the developments and changes in the world. The unique nature of drama makes it possible for it to be read and as also to be performed. Unlike the prose and poetry which depend on narration, drama is presented only through dialogue. The novel is divided in chapters and the poem is written mostly in stanzas, drama is presented in acts and scenes, movements or parts. William Shakespeare made the five-act structure the standard for his plays. Each dramatist is free to adopt his/her own style.
In addition to the fact that plays can be read and enjoyed by people in the privacy of their homes, people also watch and enjoy the plays as an audience in a theatre when the plays are presented on stage. The audience gives an immediate reaction to the performance on stage.
Drama is temporary in nature. Every performance has a definite duration (i.e. it lasts for a certain length of time). Each performance of a play is therefore a distinct work of art. Even if the actors, the composition and the decors remain unchanged throughout the production, each performance varies in nature and quality as one may be better than other. A good example is in a case where an actor may have performed badly in one production and better in another one. It means therefore that “every performance of a play, even by the same actors, represents a different realization of its possibilities and no single performance can fully realize all its possibilities”(Scholes 17). Once a performance is conducted, it ceases to exist except in one’s memory. Ritualistic presentations could also be viewed from the same perspective.
3.3 Functions of Drama
Drama is said to have originated from ritual. It is an important branch of literature and the most concrete of all art forms. It is devoid of the distant intimacy of the novel, the abstract message of fine arts, the incomplete message of music or the cryptic and esoteric language of poetry. It presents a story realistically through the actors to the audience. Drama is therefore used to entertain, inform and educate people. You can see that it is the most effective tool for mass mobilization by the government and private agencies. For instance, most campaigns against AIDS, DRUG ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE and so on, are presented in form of drama to educate, enlighten while at the same time entertain the people.
Of all the creative artists, the dramatist is in the best position to mirror his society and to effect social reforms. This is because his work has a unique characteristic of presenting events in a vivid, picturesque and realistic manner. This helps to imprint social conditions realistically in the minds of the audience. Its message is therefore immediate. The rich and the poor, the young and the old, the literate and the illiterate enjoy and assimilate the message of drama once it is presented in the appropriate language as the actors live out the story (message) on stage.
In most traditional societies, drama forms part of the communal rites. In Africa, reenactment of some feats like hunting, warfare, and other events, are usually part of bigger festivals. Some of these events are presented in form of drama to entertain the audience. In Greece also, drama formed part of a bigger festival. Greek drama is acclaimed to be the earliest recorded form of drama (5th century B.C). It is said to have originated from the Dionysian religious rites, and also remained a communal rite during the classical period. The dramatists of this age gave insight into the philosophy and religious beliefs of the ancient Greece. These early Greek plays treated life’s basic problems with utmost honesty and attacked socials ills using legendary and mythological themes. This helped to ensure sanity and equilibrium in the society.
In the Medieval period, drama was used to elucidate the message of the gospel through the re-enactment of the biblical stories during mass. It was later expanded to include the dramatization of the lives of the saints and other notable stories of the bible that did not form part of the Sunday’s lessons. It was therefore used for the spiritual and moral growth of the people. Drama and theatre also played important roles in the social lives of the people in the ancient Roman Empire. In England, Germany and France, playwrights like Shakespeare, Brecht, Goethe, Moliere, and others, in varying degrees, used their works to enable their respective countries “… to carve out and affirm a unique identity” for themselves (Hagher 145). The American industrial sector was radically but positively affected through the intervention of one play, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. This play is regarded as being responsible for the spirit of industrial revolution in America. In Africa, Kenya to be precise, a playwright, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o was arrested and detained because of the political and social consciousness which his play, I Will Marry When I Want, aroused in the audience after the production. The play was written and presented in his Gikuyi language; this enabled the audience, to assimilate its message immediately and to react accordingly. Ngugi was forced into exile. The drama of any society, therefore, reflects the problems, aspirations, philosophy and cultural background of the people.
You see that dramatists can use their works to help to shape the future of the societies. They can do this not only by reflecting the ugly sides of the societies but also by promoting the positive aspects of the people’s way of life that are worth emulating or cultivating. They also help to ensure the continuity of their tradition and culture by reflecting them in their plays. Each dramatist, therefore, tries from his perspective to use his art to enlighten his audience on the goodness, imbalances and shortcomings of his society. Apart from their thematic concerns, each dramatist, in his own style of relaying his message, tries to highlight his cultural background through the use of myths, legends, music, songs, dances, proverbs, riddles, and other local expressions. In this way, dramatists all over the world are regarded as the conscience of their societies, and custodians of their moral and cultural values.
3.4 Theatre
It is important to explain to you what theatre is. This is to avoid the erroneous impression which some people have as they interchange drama and theatre at will. Theatre comes from the Greek word “Theatron” which means “a place for viewing”. Theatre, therefore, refers to the space used for dramatic presentations or for other performances. Hence you have the National Theatre in Lagos, Oduduwa Hall in Obafemi Awolowo University, The Crab at UNIPORT, the Open Air Theatre at UNIJOS and other theatres. One play could be performed or presented in many theatres. There are different types of theatre. It could be a house or an open space, depending on the performance. If you have visited the Obafemi Awolowo University, for instance, they have three theatres, the Oduduwa Hall which is big and modern theatre in all its ramifications, the open air theatre behind it and the pit, a smaller theatre where the actors hold most of their rehearsals. You see, the shape does not matter, what is important is the acting space.
Theatre is also used for other performances that are not necessarily drama. These performances include masquerade displays, dances, puppet shows, music jamborees and other forms of festival. The basic elements of theatre are actor, space and audience. The following elements help to enhance the aesthetic aspect of the performance: scenery, costume and make-up, light and sound effects.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
i. What is the difference between drama and theatre?
ii. Discuss briefly the origin of drama in Greece.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Drama is an imitation of an action. It is said to have originated from the Dionysian festival in Greece. All ceremonies and funny actions are not drama even though they may contain some dramatic elements. An action becomes drama if and when there is an element of impersonation, re-enactment or re-representation of an action. Drama mirrors the society, so playwrights are influenced by their socio-cultural backgrounds. They draw their themes or subject matters from myths, legends, history or contemporary issues. From the days of Thepsis in Athens to the modern period, dramatists have tried to use their works to mirror their respective societies. During the early part of the development of drama, the dramatists tried to follow laid down rules of literary compositions. However, as time went on, the hard and fast rules of the theories of dramatic forms gave way to other techniques and forms. This is because each age tried to make its own innovations based on the socio-political or cultural peculiarities of their times. Some modern critics argue that playwrights should not be forced into accepting any rule on artistic creation.
Drama is used to teach, inform and also entertain and its message is immediate. This explains why it is used in campaigns and social mobilization.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, we have tried to explain what drama is and we traced its origin to ritualistic performances in primordial times and ancient Greece. Drama in simple terms is an imitation of life. Through make- believe and willing suspension of disbelief, drama brings life realistically to the audience and the message is absorbed immediately. This immediate appeal of drama makes it different from other forms of art. It is devoid of the distant intimacy of prose fiction, the often complex, sentimental, condensed and esoteric language of poetry, the incomplete and inconclusive message of music, and the abstract and cryptic message of fine and applied arts. The rich and the poor, the young and the old, the literate and the illiterate enjoy and assimilate the message of drama once it is presented in the appropriate language.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
What is the role of Thepsis in the origin of drama.
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Brocket, Oscar G. (1980). The Essential Theatre. New York: Holt Reinhart and Winston.
Crown, Brian (1983). Studying Drama. Ikeja: Longman.
Dukore, B. F. (1974). Dramatic Theory and Criticism: Greek to Grotowsky. New York: Holt Reinhart and Winston.
Hagher, I. H. (1994). “African Literature in Search of Policy: The Case of West African Drama” . In Emenyonu, Ed. Current Trends in Literature and Languages Studies In West Africa. Ibadan: Kraft Books, 1994.
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