Types of
Plays
What are the
characteristics of
the various Types of
Plays?
Types of Plays
• Tragedy
• Comedy
These are just a few of the types • Drama
of plays. A published play often • Melodrama
includes one of these words on
the cover as a clue to the reader • Farce
about the contents of the book • Satire
(a comedy in one act, or a
drama in three acts, for example.)
Some plays are serious, others are
funny. Some serious plays contain funny
scenes or lines, while some funny plays
have serious messages or themes. And
there are different kinds of funny. It
may be helpful to think of plays as being
part of a continuum - a line that
stretches , unbroken, from the most
serious to the most comedic.
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Each play can be classified by looking at it’s characteristics, the
same way that foods can be classified by looking at ingredients.
In the following slides we will examine the major types of plays.
Tragedy
Tragedy is one of the oldest types of
Drama. It has been with us since the
days of the Great Greek Playwrights
Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes.
In general usage, tragedy means
something like very sad, but in the
study of drama it has a much more
specific meaning.
Aristotle defines Tragedy
Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, gave us the oldest
definition of Tragedy. His definition includes
the following elements:
• The play must be serious in nature, intending to provide the audience
with an emotional catharsis, or cleansing by arousing deep feelings of
horror or pity.
• The play must adhere to three unities of Time, Place, and Action.
That is, the story of the play must take no longer than one day, it must
take place in only one location, and it must not be interrupted or
diluted by sub-plots.
• The play must feature a tragic hero (the Protagonist): a person of
exalted state (meaning a person of some importance in the world)
who is essentially a good man but has a tragic flaw in his character
such as excessive pride.
• Fate or destiny brings the tragic hero to a crisis point where he is
forced to choose between two courses of action, neither of which is
obviously better than the other.
• The hero is destroyed by his choice.
COMEDY
• Comedy is a more general term, applied to
any play that has a happy ending - even if
the play isn’t funny. Plays ranging from
Shakespeare’s As You Like It, to Oscar
Wilde’s Lady Windemere’s Fan to Anton
Chekkov’s Uncle Vanya to Neil Simon’s The
Odd Couple all are comedies. Even murder
mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s The
Mousetrap are, technically, comedies.
Drama
– Drama is a general category for
plays about serious subjects.
Character development and theme
are usually more important than
plot. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a
drama, as is Miss Julie, by
Strinberg.
MeloDrama
Melodrama is the category for plays about
serious subjects where plot is more
important than characters and theme.
Characters tend to be rather flat, and
they don't change or develop during the
course of the play. Murder mysteries and
suspense thrillers fit into this category.
Sentimental Drama
• Sentimental Drama is the “soap opera”
category. Serious subjects are treated
in a serious manner; plot and character
are more important than theme. There
is usually a heavy emphasis on the
emotions of the characters.
Sentimental Comedy
• Sentimental Comedy is the “sit
com,” or situational comedy,
category. Subjects are usually
lighter, and are treated with humor.
Major emphasis is on plot and
character. Neil Simon’s Barefoot in
the Park fits in this category.
Farce
• Farce is often called “low comedy.” The
emphasis is almost entirely on plot, with
bawdy jokes and physical humor.
Elements of farce include such things as
chases, disguises, talking at cross
purposes, and slapstick (pratfalls,
slipping on banana peels, etc.). Feydeau’s
A Flea in Her Ear is a farce.
Theatre of the Absurd
Theatre of the absurd contains
elements of many other types. It is
usually defined by its underlying
theme of the meaningless nature (or
absurdity) of life. Often, the very
structure of the play reinforces this
idea, as in Ionesco’s The Bald
Soprano
Comedy of Manners is a “high
comedy” category. The emphasis is
on the cleverness and witty dialog
of the characters, who are usually
members of the upper class. The
great comedies of the English
Restoration (1660-1725) and
Eighteenth Century (Farquar’s The
Beaux` Stratagem and Sheridan’s
The Rivals for example) and
Wilde’s The Importance of Being
Earnest fit in this style
Comedy of manners
Satire
Satire is also considered to be high comedy. In
satire, the playwright pokes fun at social customs
and current fashions - sometimes including specific
individuals of the times - perhaps in some effort
to change the current thought and behavior.
Aristophanes satirized many elements of Greek
culture in his plays. Moliere satires, such as the
Imaginary Invalid, Tartuffe, and The Would-be
Gentleman were sometimes so biting that his
career was threatened.
Parody
Parody is a specific form of
satire in which a very familiar
play/song/movie/etc.. is
recreated in a humorous way,
poking fun at the original
version
Musical
Comedy
Musical Comedy is possibly America’s only
original contribution to dramatic literature. It
features spoken dialog combined with songs and
dances - and since Oklahoma! by Rogers and
Hammerstein, the songs are integrated into the
action, a real change from the older operetta
form.
Social
Drama
• Social Drama is the serious counterpart of
satire. Current social problems are examined
in a serious manner. Modern serious plays
dealing with homelessness for example, or
drug addiction, or child abuse, or teen violence
would fit within this category, if their intent
seems to be to change prevailing attitudes and
policies.
