Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/504

* DRAKA. 436 DRAMA. stagp; thoiijrli it is undoulitcilly triio ttiat roalism of iiiiprMsioii is aided if tlu- iiiKi<;iiiatioii is not tiixed with widi- gaps in either time or placi'. The question of unity is often iirnetiiallv in- volved in the creation of a double plot, the sec- ondary or under plot heing eoneerned with the interests of sul>sidiary characters in the play. This, by way of contrast and relief, may really serve the circctiveness of the main action. The classic departments of the drama are trag- edy and comedy, terms which have come down to us from the tJreeks. The essential distinction ha^ been said to lie in the fact that a tragedy has a sad eniling. while- comedy ends happily: but this is far from expressing all the difference. Tragedy deals in a serious way with serious themes, espe- cially the deeper >utl'ering-- of humanity. Comedy exploits the follies and absurdities of the ridicvi- lous and the lia>e. While all drama is intended to entertain, tragedy does it through the excite- ment of sympathy, comedy through the excite- ment of mirth. A satirical purpose, however, may dictate the choice of the object of ridicule. The under-plot. also, in a tragedy, often intro- duces a comic element by way of coiuiterpoise to the tragic emotions excited by the principal plot, and of contrast to heighten the impressiveness of the latter: this i~ one. for inst:nicc. of the effects in the grave-digging seciie in Hninlct. Diversit,v of plot, however, is much more to be found in modern than in ancient plays. Many species of drama, too, do not fall into the reguhir categories of either tragedy or comed.v. The so-called his- torical and romantic dramas are sufliciently de- fined by their names; the melodromn. in Italy a form of opera, has become a species of mixed tragedy and comedy, broadly treated and appeal- ing to the less critical emotions: in France has been defined the sort of play which is named spe- cifically Ir dramr. described variously as trniji'dii bourffi'oise or romi'dii' hirmniiunle. and represent- ing life with little limitation as to form. (On the musical drama, see Opera.) Comedy has devel- oped several special varieties, from the 'comedy of manners' of the eighteenth century to farce and burlesque and vaudeville (qq.v.) : the pantomime and ballet (qq.v.t are relatively ancient offshoots from the regular drama, if the.v do not in some cases form part of its origin. Miniicrv. which is fundamental to the acted drama, is of course a part of human nature, and is doubtless to be found among all peoples. In many forms of literature, too. the dramatic ten- dency appears. Thus the Old Testament contains dramatic dialogue, as in the Book of .Tob. and <• ilistinguished, however, from developed drama. Regular drannitic history begins in fJreece. • iRKEK I>RAM.. both tragedy and comedy, devel- oped in connection with the worship of Dionysus. (See BACCHf.s.) In the Dionysiao festival.s of Attica, the satyr followers of the wine-god were impersonated by choruses of men half-clad in goat-skins — whence probably we have the word tragedy (Tpii7oi a goat, and rpa-yvSJo goat-song) — chanting dithyrambic simg> nt tlw life of the god. as they danceil about tile altar. Thus, about B.C. 000. the poet Arion. at Corinth, leil his cyclic chorus of fifty. . half-century later came Thes- pis, of .ttica. whose Thespian innovation was the introduction of an actor to fill the intervals of singing with stories and mimicry and short dia- logues with the leader of the chorus. In time the more serious performances came to be limited to the sadder parts of the Dionysus story and of other tales in the familiar mythology. When Pisistnitus established at Athens the winter fes- tival of the hrmrn. as at the tlrcal Oionyaia somewhat later, prize dranuitic contests were in- cluded in honor of the god. anil the develoi)ment of tragedy was cuntinued by Cha-rilus. Pliryni- chus, and other playwrights. It i> to the great tragic writers of the fifth century n.c, however, that the Athenian stage owes its fame. .Kschylus enlarged the possibilities of the drama by increas- ing the number of actors to two. Sophocles added a third. The original dithyrambic chorus of fifty men had been divided into four of twelve each (later increased to fifteen by Sophoi'les), with the custom of presenting ]da.vs in groups of four, called tetralogies. In one play of each tetralogy, the original satyric form was maintained. The other three, the trilog.v. properl.v formed a con- secutive series upon a single legend. A tragedy, in general, was made up of a series of 'episodes,' separated by lyric passages sung by the chorus, the whole introduced by the prologue and termi- nated bv the 'exode.' During the festival, play after pla.v was given the whole da.v through. The actors were trained by the author himself, so that to 'teach' a drama, or a chorus, became the regu- lar phrase for bringing out a play. The expenses of the production, however, were borne by a cho- sen citizen known as the rhoregus. who thus par- tici))ated in the contest. On the external form of dramatic representation in the great theatre of Dionysus, the masks, costumes, etc., .see Theatre. The Athenian traged,v was not a mere enter- tainment, but a serious religious function. Its motive, as defined h.v .ristotle in his I'aetics. was to piirify the passions of fear ami pity through the <'xalted exercise of them. Characterizations of the 'great tragic trio' of .thens have been in- numerable, from the time of Aristophanes down. In the dramas of .Eschylus. the idea of Xemcsis, divine vengeance, which lies at the heart of Greek tragedv. is an overwhelming mystery. In Sopho- cles it is visibly a part of the moral law of life, while in Kuripides it becomes more simply a souri'c of human sadness. The difference in the attitudes of these three great poets, who were so nearl.v contemporaneous, is typical of the whole progress of (Jreek tragedy. Beginning as a popu- lar religious festival, it became a vehicle of ex- pression for some of the deepest solemnities of (■reek religioiis thought, and then gradually was secularized and lost its vitalitv. Ion. .Vchicus, .gathon, and other writers wlio succeeded the great period, are of confessed inferiority, and none of their wo)ks have come down to us. With the ilropping of the chorus, nuich of the lyrical element was lost. From being an .thenian insti- tution, tragedy spread to other fJreek towns, and from the Dionysiac festivals it was extended to others, till its special relation to the worship of Dionysus di-^appeared. Tlie earlier works were continually reproduced, however, and at .Alexan- dria, under the Ptolemies, trageily shared in the getieral revival of literature and the arts. The devidopnu'nt of Creek comedy was parallel with that of traged.v. The name !•< derived from Kunot, a band of ri-velers. or from Kiiiir/, a village, with ^4)>, a song. The ruile jests «itli which the sonys of the more rustic Dionysus festivals were i-nlivened led naturally to a dramatic composi- tion of the same character. Susarion of Megara is