O genredramaticdesignates literary texts made to be performed on stage. Its origin, which goes back to the Ancient Greece, is linked to religious festivals in honor of the god Dionysus (Bacchus). Over the centuries, this genre detached itself from the connection with religiosity and began to incorporate the marks of its time and the characteristics of the literary moments in which it was produced, being also produced, read and staged.
Read too: Epic genre – texts that narrate, through verses, heroic adventures
Origin of the dramatic genre
Drama, which in Greek means “action”, is a literary genre emerged in Ancient Greece as, originally, a form of religious worship to the god Dionysus (Bacchus). The dramatic genre is composed by the texts in prose or verse meant to be staged on stage.
Characteristics of the dramatic genre
- Text in the form of dialogs;
- Divided into acts and scenes;
- Presence of rubrics — descriptions of space and/or situation before each act;
- Sequence of dramatic action usually consisting of exposure, conflict, complication, climax, outcome.
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Dramatic Text Elements
- Protagonist: central character of the dramatic action.
- Antagonist: character who opposes the protagonist.
- Choir: set of actors who comment on the action throughout the play.
- Catharsis: from the Greek, it means “purification”, a purge experienced by the audience of a tragedy, which could allay their internal anxieties through the emotions represented in the scenes.
Types of Dramatic Texts
In Ancient Greece, two types of dramatic texts were produced: a tragedy and the comedy. Second Aristotle, Greek philosopher born in 384 a. C., tragedy is characterized by being “the imitation of an action of high character that arouses terror and pity and has the effect of purifying emotions”; comedy, in turn, would be “the imitation of inferior men”.
Tragedy Characteristics
- Serious, solemn tone;
- The protagonist faces great difficulties;
- More formal language;
- Structure composed of a happy initial action, but which has a fatal outcome;
- Presence of noble characters: kings, princes, who suffer the fate imposed by the gods of Olympus.
Comedy Features
- Comical, ridiculous tone;
- Thematic linked to everyday life, focusing on the satire of society and human vices;
- More colloquial language;
- Structure composed of a complicated initial situation, but that ends in a happy ending;
- Presence of stereotyped characters, which symbolize human defects, such as greed, pettiness, etc.
Tragicomedy
Theatrical modality in which tragic and comic elements are mixed. It also meant, when it emerged, the mixture of elements of reality and imagination.
farce
Small theatrical play, characterized by its ridiculous and caricatural content, which criticizes society and its habits.
See more: Classicism – artistic movement that rescued forms and themes from Classical Antiquity
example of tragedy
the athenian poet sophocles, born probably between the years of 497 a. Ç. to 496 a. C., is considered the most important Greek dramatist. Of the more than 100 pieces he wrote, the main ones stand out: oedipus king, Antigone and Electra.
See a part of the piece oedipus king, in which Oedipus discovers that he had been given as a baby to another family. Through this revelation, he also discovers that he killed his biological father without knowing it, in addition to having married his mother, also without knowing that she was his mother.
THE SERVER - Said to be the son of the king...
OEDIPO - Was she the one who gave you the child?
THE SERVER - It was her, Lord.
OEDIPUS - With what intention?
THE SERVER - So I could kill her.
OEDIPUS - A mother! Bloody woman!
THE SERVER - She was afraid of an oracle of the gods.
OEDIPUS - What did he advertise?
THE SERVER - That this child would one day kill his father.
OEDIPO - But why did you give her to this man?
THE SERVER - I had pity on her, master. I believed he would take her to the country where she came from. He saved your life, but for the worse! If you really are the one he is talking about, know that you were born marked by unhappiness.
OEDIPUS - Oh! Alas! So in the end everything would be true! Ah! Daylight, may I see you here for the last time, since today I reveal myself the son of whom I should not be born, the husband of whom I should not be, the murderer of whom I should not kill!
comedy example
O main author of comedies in Ancient Greece was Aristophanes, being the theatrical text Lysistrist, written and staged in 411 a. a., its main work. In this text, Greek women, led by Lysistrata, fed up with the war between Athens and Sparta, they lock themselves in a temple and decide, by vote, to start a sex strike to force a negotiation of peace. This strategy, however, provokes a funny battle between men and women.
Read an excerpt from the first scene of the comedy, which highlights the beginning of the meeting organized by Lysistrata for women to go on sex strike, with the aim of putting an end to the Peloponnesian War.
SCENE
In the foreground, Lysistrata's house on one side, Cleonice's on the other. In the background, the Acropolis, A narrow and curvy path leads there. In the middle of the rocks, in the background, the cave of Pan. Lysistrata walks back and forth in front of the house.
LISISTRATA - That's right. If they had been invited to a Bacchus party, this would be impassable for women and tambourines. But, as I said it was serious, none have come up so far. They only think about bacchanals. Hey Cleonice! Good morning, Cleonice!
CLEONICE Good morning, Lysistrata. Magnificent day for a bacchanalian.
LYSISTRAT - Cleonice, for the love of Zeus: Bacchus must be tired by now.
CLEONICE What happened, good neighbor? You have a grim expression, a reproachful look on your face, your brow furrowed. The back of a beauty mask.
LYSISTRAT Oh, Cleonice, my heart is full of spite. I'm ashamed of being a woman. I am obliged to agree with men when they treat us like objects, good only for the pleasures of bed.
CLEONICE - And sometimes not even that. Cybele, for example...
LYSISTRAT - (Scolding.) Please, Cleonice. (Pause.) This is no time for backbiting. (Pause.) The moment they were called upon to make a definitive decision in the life of the country, they prefer to stay in bed instead of serving the interests of the community.
CLEONICE Calm down, Lisinha! You know how difficult it is for housewives to let go of domestic commitments. One has to go to the market, another takes her son to the gym, a third fight with the lazy slave who at 6 am has not yet risen. Not to mention the time wasted cleaning children's irresponsible asses.
LISISTRATA - But I warned them to leave everything. The thing here is much more urgent. Much bigger.
CLEONICE That big?
LISISTRATA - I don't think any of us have ever faced anything tNot big. Either we get together and face it together or it eats us up.
Also access: Literature full of Baroque antitheses and paradoxes
solved exercises
Question 1 - (UFG)
SCENE IV
EDUARDO, CARLOTINHA.
CARLOTINHA - Where are you going, bro?
EDUARDO - I'm going to Catete to see a patient; I'll be right back.
CARLOTINHA - I wanted to talk to you.
EDUARDO - When I come back, girl.
CARLOTINHA - And why not now?
EDUARDO - I'm in a hurry, I can't wait. Do you want to go to the Lyric Theater today?
CARLOTINHA - No, I'm not willing.
EDUARDO - Well, it represents a beautiful opera. (Fills cigar wallet.) Sings Charton. It's been a long time since we went to the theater.
ALENCAR, José de. the familiar devil. 2. ed. Campinas: Bridges, 2003. for. 11.
The theatrical text, exemplified by the previous excerpt, has similarities with the narrative text as it uses characters, represents actions and marks time and space. In the theatrical text,
a) the actions of the characters are described by a narrator, who is the mediator of the narrative.
b) the characters' speeches are diluted in the text, being confused with the narrator's voice.
c) the characteristics of the characters are revealed through their speeches and thus the action is conducted by themselves.
d) the characters' voices are important for the construction of the narrative, although there is the voice of an omniscient narrator.
e) the characters' attitudes are conducted by an intrusive narrator, although the conflict is in the dialogues.
Resolution
Alternative C. In theatrical text, there is usually no presence of narrators that lead the actions and speeches of the characters. They are acted out and spoken directly, revealing the characters' characteristics to the audience.
Question 2 - (UFPA) The literary text, in addition to being presented in prose and verse, manifests itself, from the point of view of content, of different ways, in response to the inspiration and/or the historical-socio-cultural circumstances of each style of era. Therefore, the alternative that correctly expresses a characteristic related to either the lyrical genre, or the narrative or the dramatic is:
a) The dramatic text has subjective emotion as its main object.
b) In the lyrical genre, the text is built from dialogues.
c) Action is an essential element of the narrative.
d) The humorous characters are the most common in theatrical plays.
e) The textual construction in verse is the most appropriate for the short story.
Resolution
Alternative C.O lyric genre its main object is the subjective emotion, while the dramatic is constructed through dialogues. Humorous characters are common in both plays and narratives. The textual construction in verse is not suitable for the tale, narrative genre in prose.
By Leandro Guimarães
Literature teacher
