What is Drama ?

What is Drama? Drama is a type of overly emotional performance that makes a person feel empathy for the characters in the story. There is usually a conflict and a resolution in any dramatic situation, whether the situation is positive or negative. The plot line in any dramatic media is often complex, and is often almost mysterious in nature.

There are several different types of drama. Comedy is a more lighthearted, funny type of drama during which the characters have a problem, but eventually overcome the issues at hand through a series of quirky mishaps and jokes. A tragedy is the type of drama during which the characters are out to destroy each other, usually either murdering or severely injuring someone in the process. Usually, in modern times, the characters in a tragedy are either very mean and evil or very sweet and naive. One side eventually wins a huge victory over the other, and the resolution leaves the viewer/reader with a sense of dismay or relief, depending on the ending.

Drama involving problems in the world today is a common theme in movies and television shows today, and addresses the current issues in society, economy, or the community in general. Close to problem drama is historical drama, which portrays historical events that usually have built a dramatic timeline for themselves simply by happening the way that they did. Fantasy dramas are sometimes funny, but not always, and are usually completely nonsensical in nature, usually coming to a resolution based on what the author’s mind leads them to believe is a suitable ending to the situation. Dramatic farce is a type of drama in which the characters tend to lean towards almost impossible odds against them in extremely silly situations. Similar to dramatic farce is the ever-popular melodrama. Melodrama has absolutely nothing to do with reality as far as the truth behind life goes, and instead offers the audience a good laugh or an extreme thrill. There is almost never any real depth to a melodrama.

The components of any well-thought-out drama are just as important as the content of the play. According to Aristotle, the six main things that make a drama worth enjoying are:

  • The Theme- What is the drama about? What is the idea that drives the story? This can be as simple as the circus, a murder mystery drama idea, or anything of the like.
  • The Plot- this is the general story line. The plot needs to be very well-designed and thought out at length before writing down ideas, so that the story flows well.
  • The Music- If a dramatic presentation is lacking in some sort of music to set the mood, there is little that simply reading or watching the plot line can do to grab the audience’s interest.
  • The Characters- Who is in the drama? Are there supporting characters and main characters, and if so, what are their roles in the drama? The actors have to not only play their part perfectly for their roles, but for their audiences. Without a good actor, a dramatic play may seem bland, at best.
  • The Spectacle- How is the entire dramatic idea, mood, and story put together and shown to the witness? Without a little show, the drama loses its light and just turns out to be another boring story.

Drama can be presented in slightly different ways all across the world. For instance, Indian dramas are usually very elaborately decorated, have very distinct sections, and are supplied by very talented musicians and dancers with intermission music and performances that would rival many American movies in and of themselves. Magic and superstition make up a major part of most Indian dramas, with the many gods involved in these beautiful stories.

Afro-Asian drama stories are usually about the struggles that the people who wrote them have had to endure throughout the history of their culture, or events that are currently happening in the lives of said people. These dramatic accounts are usually very musical and dance oriented, and are usually based on true events that have happened rather than non-historical farce. This is not to say, however, that there are not fictional dramas from Indian and Afro-Asian cultures, they are just slightly less common than the seriously over-done and silly dramas that often grace our screens in the USA.

There are a lot of different types of dramas, whether on-screen, in a book, or simply floating around as an idea in someone’s head. Drama helps define cultures, and can portray certain types of emotions that many other types of plays cannot. Drama is a very important part of our society these days as a whole and is one of the most frequently-watched types of film and type of book that is read. The world would be a very boring place without drama.