Introduction to Drama, Types, and Elements. – JSS1 English Lesson Note (First Term)

Drama is a form of fiction that is meant to be performed on a stage before an audience. It imitates human behaviour and action, in tragedy and in everyday life. A story is told through dialogue and action, together with the setting, which the audience sees mainly in the scenery and props.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what drama is;
• state where the word “drama” comes from and what it means;
• list the four main types of drama;
• list the five characteristics of drama;
• describe how a story is told in a play.

What is drama?

Drama is meant to imitate human behaviour and action, in both tragedy and everyday life. It is a distinctive fictional form because it is intended to be performed on a stage before an audience.

The word “drama” comes from the Greek word “dran”, meaning to act or to do. Drama brings a story to life before our eyes. The story of a play is told through dialogue and action, and it is combined with the setting that the audience perceives mainly from scenery and props. Knowing about these elements helps you appreciate and discuss the plays you see and read.

What are the types of drama?

Several genres exist within drama, each with its own storytelling methods, character types and dramatic approach. There are four main genres, or types, of drama:

• Tragedy
• Comedy
• Melodrama
• Tragicomedy

Understanding the characteristics of these genres gives a basic idea of the types of theatre being created today and the influences behind them.

What are the characteristics of drama?

The five characteristics of drama are:

• Idea/Plot
• Characters
• Language
• Music
• Performance

Evaluation

Write the comparative and superlative forms of the adjectives:

1. fast ____________
2. heavy ____________
3. dangerous ____________
4. small ____________
5. large ____________
6. light ____________
7. rare ____________
8. common ____________
9. beautiful ____________
10. swift ____________

Explain what you understand by the word “drama”.

Assignment

Put the adjectives in brackets in the correct form.

1. My brother has a (tidy) room than me.
2. Australia is (big) than England.
3. I’m (good) now than yesterday.
4. She’s got (little) money than you, but she doesn’t care.
5. He thinks Chinese is the (difficult) language in the world.
6. Valencia played (bad) than Real Madrid yesterday.
7. Cats are not as (intelligent) as dogs.
8. Show me a (good) restaurant downtown.
9. The (hot) desert of all is the Sahara and it’s in Africa.