ORIGIN OF DRAMA IN ENGLAND *Drama, like other forms of literature, imitates life, but unlike other forms of literature, it imitates life through action and speech. *It is designed for representation on the stage. The art of drama is closely bound up with stage conditions, the skill of the actors and the taste of the audience. ORIGIN OF DRAMA IN ENGLAND *Drama in England had its origin in religion. It grew out of liturgy of the Church. The early religious plays were of two types: The Mysteries, based upon subjects taken from the Bible and the Miracles dealing with the lives of saints. *The best of the extent cycles of Miracle and Mystery plays belong to the 15th century. Abraham and Issac is remarkable for its pathos. *The early dramas were didactic in nature, I their purpose being to instruct the people in the chief facts of the scriptures or in the events of the lives of saints. Initially, the church had the drama under its control. It was written by the clergy and acted by the clergy within the church and its language was the Latin of the Church service.

*As popularity increased, and larger crowds started throging, the venue of performance was first shifted to the porch, then to the street. *The religious performances, though crude and poor, lasted well into the 16th century. *The Morality Plays mark the next stage in the growth of drama in England. They were also didactic in purpose. The characters in such plays were personified abstractions. All sorts of virtues and vices were personified and there was generally a place for the devil. A character introduced at a later stage was the Vice. Everyman (1490) is the finest extant example of this type of play.

TRANSFORMATION OF ENGLISH DRAMA English drama received a great impetus from the revival of ancient Grcio-Roman literature and mythology in the 16th century. The Elizabethan age is the golden age of English drama. Plays now came to be divided into Acts and Scenes. Dramatists of eternal repute – Shakespeare, Vhirstopher Marlowe,Moliere, Bensjonson belong to this age. The Three Unities Unity of Time Unity of Place (iii)Unity of Action The Construction: Its Four Parts (i)Exposition (ii) Development through Conflict (iii) Climax or the Crisis , (iv) Denouement

FORMS OF DRAMA. Tragedy and Comedy are two broad divisions FORMS OF DRAMA *Tragedy and Comedy are two broad divisions. *Tragi-comedy and Historical plays are also recognized forms of drama

*Tragedy is further divided into : Classical tragedy, Romantic Tragedy, Revenge Tragedy, Heroic Tragedy, Sentimental tragedy. *Similarly, there are Romantic Comedy, Classical Comedy, Comedy of Humour, Comedy of Manners and Farcical Comedy