literature: drama by eguriase s. m. okaka

Literature: Drama

By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Drama is one of the genres of literature that is meant to be acted on stage. Drama is a play that is acted on stage and it is written in Acts and Scenes. it is mostly written in dialogue which refers to the conversation of the actors or actresses on stage. It is made interesting and entertaining by the conflicts which arise during the cause of the play and how it is resolved. Drama is a relative and also a societal tool because it is mostly relate to human beings in nature. Features of drama/plays • Plays are written in Acts and Scenes. • Plays are written to be acted on stage, on television or radio. The stage is a raised platform in a theatre on which actors and actresses move during performances. • Drama involves the use of dialogue. Characters talk to one another through dialogue. • Drama may involve miming. This means acting without speech. (Examples in the prologue to The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi. Drama may also sometimes involve songs. • The audience refers to the people that gather to watch the play in a theater or hall. • The costume refers to the clothes worn by actors and actresses in a play. • Actors and actresses are the men and women, boys and girls, who act in a play. • The Stage Director refers to the artist who directs the speeches, movements and actions of the actors and actresses on stage. How to write a play Writing a play may not be as easy as most of us think. Here are a few tips to follow when writing a play. • Decide what your play is about – a kidnapping case, family fight, child abuse, etc. • Write your plot line so that people will know what the play is about. • Decide on the characters - how many, what type of character and why? Think of main and minor character. • Write the rest of the script and proofread properly. • Make sure that there are dramatic moments – fights, arguments, breakups, happiness, somber mood, death etc. • Put strong words or soft words in the mouth of the characters to suit their role in the play. • Use figures of speech – metaphor – metaphor, simile. Euphemism, irony, hyperbole, etc. • Let an experienced actor/friend review it. (This may be the first step). READ and enjoy the following scene from the play, Arms and the Man, by George Bernard Shaw. The theme is that of romance and one’s ability to deal with difficult situations. ACT 1 Takes place in a lady’s bedchamber in Burlgaria in the year 1885. Catherine: (entering hastily, full of good news). Raina! (She pronounces it Rab-eena, with the stress on the ee.) Raina! (She goes to the bed, expecting to find Raina there.) Why? Where? (Raina looks into the room.) Heavens, child! Are you out in the night air instead of in your bed? You’ll catch your death. Louka told me you were asleep. Raina: (dreamily) I sent her away, I wanted to be alone. The stars are so beautiful! What is the matter? Catherine: Such news! There has been a battle. Raina: (her eyes dilating): Ah! (She comes eagerly to Catherine.) Catherine: A great battle at Slivnical! A victory! And it was won by Seguis. Raina: (with a cry of delight) Ah! (They embrace rapturously)……. The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi (An excerpt from The gods are not to blame…….) Act 1 Scene 1 (This takes place in the palace of the king- old and young men, women, some with babies were strapped to their backs, all sprawling or crouching on the hard ground in the forms of agonized semi-conscious: moaning, etc. Odewale appears flanked by his chiefs. He stops on the topmost step, scanning the townspeople who now raise the volume of their raucous lamentation.) First Chief: Enough! People of our land: people of our land – the king stands before you in greeting. First Citizen: What use are greetings to a dying body? Chiefs: (shocked) Aha! Odewale: (gesture to his chiefs) Let them talk. First woman: Yesterday, my twins died-both of them. My third child….. (Unstrapping the baby on her back) here, feel her, feel how hot she is…. Come feel. (Odewale goes down and feels the child) Second citizen: When the head of a household dies, the house becomes an empty shell. But we have you as our head and with you, our chiefs: yet we do not know whether to thank the gods that you are with us, or to look elsewhere for hope….. Note: All actions in the prologue to this play is in mime. Mime means using movement to express what you want to say without using words. Also in the background, in the prologue, choral singing and drumming comes up now and again. The above excerpts are examples of drama. Remember that drama is one of genres of literature. It refers to a play or work of art that is meant to be acted on a stage. Drama is often combined with music and dance. It is the only genre of literature that is meant to be acted. The theme: Drama may be tragedy or a comedy or it may be neither completely sad nor happy, but tells a story. It is a comedy when it is intended to make people laugh. Examples are The lion and the jewel by Wole Soyinka, This is our chance by Ene Henshaw. A drama is a tragedy when the story is a serious one that ends sadly and the main character dies. Example – The gods are not to blame by Ola Rotimi. Questions • What was the theme of the first excerpt from Arms and the man? • What does the writer mean by the expression, “You’ll catch your death.” • Where did the battle referred to in the excerpt took place? (The gods are not to blame) • What is the setting of this excerpt? • How many characters do we have in this excerpt? • What is the name of the king? Literature in the making Literature is a form of writing that express ideas of universal interest. The write ups are always about the beliefs of a people and their way of life as in their customs and traditions and history. Though greater percentages of literary works are based on people yet some few writers used animals as their characters, these are refers to as fables. All literary works are always divided into two groups, that is, Fiction and Non-Fiction. Fiction: fictitious literature; comprehensively, all works of imagination; specifically, novels and romance. Simply put, fiction is an imaginative story or writing which is not based on facts. Any story that falls into this group is referred to as such. Non-Fiction: non-Fiction refers to all writings based on facts, rather than mere imagination. It is an exacting writing based on the eye witness account. I was there when this event took place; if such account is given it is always based on the facts. The purpose of any literary piece is to pass message across apart from their entertaining nature. Score of Literature Literature as a subject covers the following areas: • The beliefs of a people. • The religion of a people. • The culture and traditions of a people. • The history of a people. • The customs and norms of a people. • The myths or mythology of a people and their legendary figures. E.g., heroes and heroines. Drama is the closest genre of literature to man. The other two which are poetry and prose may approach issues indirectly or from the abstract point of view but drama deal with issues more appropriately. Its issues are mostly societal and they are those that the audience can easily relate with. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka