Classical Theories of Drama – A Comparative Critique

TDR, 1997

Although it is rare to find a comparative treatment of Greek and Sanskrit drama as thoughtful and passionate as this one, students of classical Indian theater will recognize a familiar topic in the title. It is natural to want to see how two great ancient cultures that produced both a body of dramatic theory and a limited number of extant plays can shed light on each other. When the comparative study comes from the Indian side, or from a cultural fellow-traveler (such as myself), there is often an additional motivation. When colonial administrators introduced the

2006

Although it is rare to find a comparative treatment of Greek and Sanskrit drama as thoughtful and passionate as this one, students of classical Indian theater will recognize a familiar topic in the title. It is natural to want to see how two great ancient cultures that produced both a body of dramatic theory and a limited number of extant plays can shed light on each other. When the comparative study comes from the Indian side, or from a cultural fellow-traveler (such as myself), there is often an additional motivation. When colonial administrators introduced the

2021

Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: AbstractThe source of the Indian theory of drama is the Nātyaśāstra of the sage Bharata, an encyclopedic treatise on all the aspects of dramaturgy. Bharata the instaurator and codifier of the Indian tradition of drama postulates theories of drama, music, dance, and poetry, construction of stage, the concept of rasa and the mimetic role of drama, etc. While neither Aristotle nor Plato applies to any form of Western dance style, in India, everyone goes back to Nātyaśāstra to find the source of various styles of Indian classical and regional dances and music. Metaphysically, the Indian theory of drama is based on Karma unlike the Greek theory of drama based on fate. At the outset, the present paper shall explore and discuss the origin of the Nātyaśāstra, and will analyze some of its most significant aspects.

Kaumodaki: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies

This paper interprets the parallels and disparities in Nātyaśāstra and Poetics. The former treatise of drama is set by Bharatmuni from the East; the latter by Aristotle from the West. Hence, these dramaturgies form the bases for the eastern and western plays, respectively. Despite the time and spatial differences between the two, they contain similarities as well as differences. They share the common dramatic elements like gestures, dance and music; rhythm, poet and mimesis; plot, sub-plot and supernatural elements; art and imitation; rasa (evocation of emotion) and catharsis. Likewise, they contain the elements of disparities like language-style differences, semiotic and semantics, abhinaya (acting) and art, the absence of tragedy in the former, Rasa to the former and plot and character to the latter. This researcher explores how these elements of parallels and disparities in the two theories of dramas fit to the eastern and western plays, despite their spatial and temporal gaps. T...

International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology

This Paper highlights a few generalizations about the Western dramatic theory represented by Aristotle and Indian dramatic theory represented by Bharata Muni. The purpose of this paper is not to suggest that Indian theory of drama is superior to the western but is to point out their differences. Obviously there is a fundamental difference between the Western and the Indian modes of thinking. Aristotle’s Western dramatic theory is based on tragedy. On the other hand Bharata Muni’s dramatic theory is based on the Indian theory of Karma. In Bharata’s theory “Rasa” is the sole object of dramatic representation. But there is one interesting point. Whereas western dramatic theory cannot be applied to Sanskrit drama, Bharata’s theory of rasa, as S.C. Sen Gupta. has shown, can be employed with profit in appreciating the western drama. The Paper concluded by suggesting that both the Indian and the Western theories of drama as represented by Bharata and Aristotle respectively have broken down...

The study of the plays of Kalidasa explicates the inward and outward expressions and impressions of the stage representations that are enacted and experienced by the characters on the stage. Their predicament under the trance of artha and kama signifies the helplessness and suffering. The analyses of the situations, emotional upheaval during crisis in context of psychological feelings in face of the classical concept of the purusarthas state the performance of one’s duty inspite of duality in life. Dramatically this condition indicates the assimilation in context of the ultimate truth of life even when the earthly circumstances cause adversities due to delusions or misfortunes.. This dichotomy is so well interplayed with the ethics and aesthetics, that the characters’ nature and emotions in face of chance and divine providence, sometimes delineates their psyche or sometimes depicts their entity or sometimes describes poetic sensibility of the dramatist. The presentation of illusion against the representation of svadharma is actually the skill of dramaturgy that makes the study of the plays inexhaustible. These plays have been since ages all over the world just like Shakespeare, Geothe, Tennessee Williams’s leave a universal appeal of classical literary creativity, undestroyed by time and space. Moreover as readers, not only we extract information on the traditional literary historiography but also enable us to explore the paradigm shift in the Rasas and Bhavas that reflect the cultural cognitive dynamics against the biological cognitive desires in the theoretical text.

Research Scholar, 2019

India has a rich tradition of drama since ancient times. It has its roots in Sanskrit plays. Indian Traditions are preserved in the "Natyasastra", the oldest text of the theory of drama as the western world is Aristotle's "Poetics". History of Indian drama elaborates majestically about Bharata setting out a detailed theory of drama. According to Bharata poetry, dance and mime in life's play produce emotion but it is only drama which produced flavor (Rasa). The drama uses the eight basic emotions-love, pity, anger, disgust, heroism, awe, terror and comedy that generally inspire the audience. While in the western canon only two principle forms of drama-tragedy and comedy are recognized. Sanskrit theorists describe ten kinds of dramatic forms-Nataka, Prakarana Bhane, Vyayoga, Samavakara, Dima, Ihamriga, Anka, Vrithi and Prahasana. The paper will trace the development of Indian Drama in English from pre-independence to contemporary time. Along with the playwrights the paper in short will focus on the various themes and aspects covered by different playwrights.

Priest-king relations were essential at the inception and throughout the development of the Ancient Indian theatre. The Nāṭyaśāstra offers ample testimony to that, where the Brahman, as possessor of sacral knowledge, creates and stages the Nāṭya, while the King offers it secular patronage. This paradigm of contacts between secular and sacral authorities is true to history. Formed at the inception of the theatre it proved viable enough to survive to the time of the literary Sanskrit drama, taking on a somewhat different aspect of relations of its heroes -the King and the Brahman (Vidūṣaka), who remained a friend and confidant of the sovereign.

isara solutions, 2016

Drama has been an integral part of ancient Indian culture. In fact the dramas reflected the social milieu of its time. The origin of the Indian theatre is still obscure. It is certain, how-ever, that even in the Vedic period dramatic performances of some kind were given, passing references in early sources point to the en-action at festivals of religious legends, perhaps only in dance and mime. Some writers have found elements in common between the Indian and the classical Greek theatre. The curtain at the back of the stage was called yavanika, a diminutive form of the name by which the Greeks were generally known in India. One play at least, “The Little Clay Cart”, has a superficial resemblance to the late Greek comedy of the school of Menander. We cannot wholly reject possibility that Greek comedies, acted at the courts of the Greco-Bactrian kings of N.-W.India, inspired unknown Indian poets to develop their own popular stage into a courtly art form.