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

Drama is a story written to be performed on a stage by actors before an audience.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. explain what drama is;
2. state where the word “drama” comes from and what it means;
3. list the four main types of drama and describe each one;
4. list the five characteristics of drama;
5. describe how a story is told in a play.

What is drama?

Drama is a form of fiction that imitates human behaviour and action and is meant to be performed on a stage before an audience.

• Imitation: a play copies how people act in serious events and in everyday life.
• Performance: a play is written to be acted, not only to be read.
• Audience: the people who watch the play.
• Purpose: it brings a story to life before our eyes.

Where does the word “drama” come from?

The word “drama” comes from the Greek word “dran”, which means to act or to do.

• Origin: Greek.
• Root word: “dran”.
• Meaning: to act or to do.
• Link to the stage: drama is about people doing things in front of us.

How is a story told in a play?

A play tells its story through dialogue and action, together with the setting that the audience sees mainly in scenery and props.

• Dialogue: the words the characters speak to one another.
• Action: what the characters do on the stage, such as moving, fighting or laughing.
• Setting: the place and time of the story.
• Scenery: the painted or built background that shows the place, such as a village compound.
• Props: objects the actors use, such as a stool, a walking stick or a mobile phone.

Knowing these elements helps you to enjoy, understand and discuss the plays you see and read.

What are the common terms used in a play?

These are the basic words students meet when they read or watch a play.

• Playwright: the person who writes the play, such as Wole Soyinka or Ola Rotimi.
• Cast: all the actors who play the characters.
• Act: a main division of a play, made up of one or more scenes.
• Scene: a smaller part of an act, usually in one place and time.
• Stage direction: a note from the playwright telling actors what to do or how to speak, often in brackets.
• Stage: the raised area where the actors perform.

What are the types of drama?

There are four main types of drama: tragedy, comedy, melodrama and tragicomedy.

Each type has its own way of telling a story, its own kinds of character and its own mood.

Tragedy

• Meaning: a serious play about suffering and loss.
• Main character: often a person of high standing who faces a downfall.
• Ending: usually sad, often with the death of the main character.
• Examples: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and The Gods Are Not to Blame by Ola Rotimi.

Comedy

• Meaning: a light play meant to amuse the audience.
• Characters: ordinary and often funny people in silly situations.
• Ending: usually happy.
• Examples: The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.

Melodrama

• Meaning: a play with exaggerated feelings and an exciting plot.
• Characters: clearly good heroes and clearly wicked villains.
• Ending: usually happy, with goodness rewarded and evil punished.

Tragicomedy

• Meaning: a play that mixes the serious side of tragedy with the humour of comedy.
• Mood: changes between sad and funny moments.
• Ending: may be neither fully sad nor fully happy.

How do the four types compare?

What are the characteristics of drama?

The five characteristics of drama are idea or plot, characters, language, music and performance.

• Idea/Plot: the main idea and the series of events that make up the story.
• Characters: the people in the story, played by actors.
• Language: the words used in the dialogue.
• Music: songs, drumming and sound that add feeling to the play.
• Performance: the acting of the play on a stage before an audience.

Evaluation

1. Explain what you understand by the word “drama”.
2. State the language and the meaning of the word from which “drama” comes.
3. List the four main types of drama.
4. List the five characteristics of drama.
5. Name three things through which a story is told in a play.

Assignment

Write a short dialogue of six lines between two characters in a market. Put a stage direction in brackets before at least two lines. State whether your scene is a tragedy or a comedy.