Conventions of Drama

Through the centuries, the conventions of drama have been altered in many different ways. These conventions are the setting, plot, characters and staging. The main factor which has been a dominant force during the changes of conventions has been the society. The society present during the time in which a play was written had a direct influence on the plot and characters. This is because drama is defined as a representation of life. Four plays which have been selected from Greek, Elizabethan, Restoration and Modern times can be analysed to show and represent the changes of drama. These plays are “Oedipus the King”, “Macbeth”, “The Way of the World” and “A Doll’s House”. The early origins of drama came from the Greek. Drama in Greece,450BC was not readily available to the society. Plays were only put on twice a year during great religious celebrations. At these festivals, where the plays were performed competitively, the main focus of theme was about the Gods. These Gods were superior to everyone and represented wealth and power. The fact that they were immortal signified their importance and dominance. Greek drama was also based on the aspects of tragedy and dramatic irony. The tragedy meant that the play often ended with a noble person being destroyed by the Gods. The noble person was led by his own downfalls or flaws which often resulted in his death. This is evident in the story of “Oedipus the King” where Oedipus tries to outwit the prophecy which the Gods predicted, but fails to do so and ends up in exile. The interesting technique of the dramatic irony in Greek plays meant that the audience had prior knowledge of the play and knew the events that will take place before the characters. The staging of plays in Greece took place in huge amphitheatres the size of large sports stadiums. These were used to accommodate the whole city. Despite the enormous amount of people watching the plays,