Drama is one of the most beautiful and the highest form of artistic expression. It is a harmonious blending
of dance, art, verse, melody and action. It is a long literary composition like the novel, a great source of
entertainment and the most appealing medium of instructions. While the novel is a long narrative tale complete
in itself, the drama is not complete in itself. It develops through dialogues and actions amongst the characters on
the stage and requires a large set of external equipments such as a theatre, a stage fully equipped with curtains,
lights and sound for it presentation on the stage before an audience. Drama is also different from other literary
genres because it is mainly designed for performance and not reading like a novel and thus is a public affair. The
term drama is originally derived from the Greek word meaning ‘action’ or ‘act’ or ‘to do’. It can also be definedas a specific mode of fiction represented in performance on the stage by actors. It deals with a problem in its plot
and may end either happily or unhappily.
It is almost certain that drama, in every part of the world, originated in the ritual ceremonies connected
with some sort of religious worship. The use of the term owes its origin to mid-18th century France, when Diderot
and later Beaumarchais used the word ‘drama’, to describe their plays of middle class life. In modern usage,
however, the word drama is frequently extended to all serious plays. Drama is thus a literary artistic representation
by actors who perform the action and dialogue and impersonate the characters.
There are many forms of drama. Some of them are Comedy, Tragedy, Chronicle plays, Mosque, Miracle,
Mystery and Morality plays. Dramatic components include act, atmosphere, chorus, plot, character, setting,
soliloquy, dramatic illusion and stock characters while the different Dramatic styles are Expressionism, Realism,
Naturalism and Symbolism.
So far as the plot-structure of a drama is concerned, it has a well-defined division. Before the action takes
place, the drama begins with a background. This part is called the Exposition. Then the plot or action develops
slowly which is called the Growth. Gradually the growth reaches its peak, which is known as the Climax. After
the climax, the plot declines, which is known as the Resolution. The final stage of the Resolution in a Tragedy is
known as catastrophe, whereas, in a comedy it is called Denouement. Some plays have a prologue in the beginning
and an epilogue at the end.
Keyword : artistic expression, harmonious blending, literary composition, appealing, narrative tale, public affair,
impersonate, climax,
Aims and Objectives:
The main aim of this article is to present a general idea about drama, its components, dramatic styles and plot
structure. Besides, it also throws light on the evolution of Indian English Drama since the Vedic period till today.
The article also makes a comparative study between drama and other literary genres. In addition, it highlights the
contribution of some major Indian dramatists in the growth of Indian English drama.