English Literature

Drama has long existed in the times of the Ancient Greeks and the fact that the play of tragedy came from them (like the Oedipus Rex and Antigone and known as the Greek tragedy), proves this. It is not surprising then that the discussion of drama as a literature and as a subject matter which is scrutinized first came out in the teachings and lectures of Aristotle and his famous Poetics. The basic elements of drama which almost appears in humanities, literature and art textbooks and classroom discussions appears in this Poetics. The elements itself varies, for example, there are some who insist that it comprises only of six being the plot, theme, character, language, rhythm and spectacle (Kyshakes.org, n.d.). On the other hand, there are still others who consider symbol, point of view and irony as essential elements, foregoing language, rhythm and spectacle as part of these elements of drama.

Even if there are arguments arising over what are the basic elements of the drama, there should be no argument at all over what is the most important element since each and every element is important. Each element contributes to the totality of the drama in relation to its aesthetic and technical value. For example, the element of the characters are in no way more or less important to the setting of the dramaplay because the characters are the ones which would move the entire plot by their actions and lines while the setting would add   character  to the characters. In fact, in some cases, even the setting or the staging would be one of the characters (like in Becketts Waiting for Godot or Sartres No Exit). Every single element helps in the development of a drama and other elements does this. Like in the case of the elements of style and tone wherein their manifestation in the actions and lines of the characters, and the mood and atmosphere of the setting creating credence to the drama while keeping in breathing life to the dramas artistry in terms of technicality and creativity. In the collection of lectures by Aristotle (1996) entitled Poetics, it is mentioned that the plot and structure of the play is foremost the very basic element of the drama and this is very true since there can be no drama if there are no series of events which would flow from one to the other until finally reaching a conclusion or resolution. Thus, a plot is simply that, a series of events in the drama played by the characters which offsets another event and another event until finally it arrives to an end. A plot involves the conflict, another important element in the drama, because if there is no conflict, the plot and structure would not exist. Because of this conflict, it is distinguishable on what is the difference of plot versus structure the plot would be the order of events and the structure would be the  relatedness of actions  or relatedness of these events. Thus, the structure can only be wholly grasped when the entire plot is seen.

However, more important to note than this confusion over the elements of drama and their respective definitions is the thought behind what makes drama and such elements important to literature and to society as a whole. This can be explained by the fact that literature (such as drama) has been known to have two roles in relation to society as an entity and to the people as individuals. First is that it has some sort of function as a means to instruct people with the ways of the world or the realities of life while the second role being it serves as an example of creativity and aesthetic prowess of the people. Thus, dramaplays can either instruct humanity with the idea that there are peoplecharacters who are evil (like Shakespeares Iago), somewhat evil (Sophocles King Creon) and some things can happen to people that can change them and their entire lives (like Shakespeares Shylock). On the other hand, dramas can also serve as a vehicle for great playwrights creativity as what the likes of William Shakespeare would prove with his great character and plot development and witty (or dramatic)language use.

In conclusion, there are many other subject matters which are encompassed within drama and no mere short essay can fully explicate nor discuss what are these elements, what makes them so important to literature and what makes drama so important to humanity. But over all, there is one thing which can be said drama is one facet of humanitys face wherein both thoughts and emotions can be expressed and relayed not just by language but also by movement. In fact, even the absence of language and the nonexistence of movement can sometimes mean to be a form of message.