Social Drama

Asst. Prof. T. U. Sannake

Introduction

• ‘Social Drama’
• No entry in most of the dictionaries of literary terms and encyclopedia
• Analysis of ‘social drama’ is available under other terms, such as ‘drame’, ‘domestic tragedy’, ‘thesis play’, and ‘problem play’ among others

Introduction

• Victor Turner - Social Drama - From Rituals to Theatre: The Human Seriousness of Play (1982)

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• Clayton Hamilton - ‘modern social drama’ - The Theory of The Theatre (1910)

‘Problem play’ as Social Drama

• [U]sually a play dealing with a particular social problem in a realistic manner designed to change public opinion; also called a thesis play. Significant examples are Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (1879), on women's subordination in marriage, and George Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession (1902) on prostitution.

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‘Thesis Play’ as Social Drama

• A drama which deals with a specific problem and, very probably, offers a solution. This form appears to have originated in France in the 19^th c. ...

‘Thesis Play’ as Social Drama

• Ibsen was a major influence on the genre, for example A Doll's House (1879). In England Shaw (Widowers' Houses, 1892, Mrs Warren's Profession, 1902, Major Barbara, 1905).... This type of drama is also known as a problem or propaganda play. (Cuddon 913-914)

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main characteristics of ‘social drama’

• Realistic characters in realistic actions representing real people in every-day-life problems. These characters are meant to raise in the audience an emotional bondage with them.
• Seriousness is the mode of tackling serious issues in the social, familial or political life. Through this mode, the playwright intends to draw the attention and call for reform.

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main characteristics of ‘social drama’

• The aim of the plays is not to find a solution to the staged problem as much as to draw attention to how they overshadow the existence of people. In some cases, though, a solution may be presented by the end of the play.

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• The plays are a modern form of tragedy that does not adhere to the rules of classical tragedy. However, they have a serious mode when dealing with subjects, the conflicts, or any theme of the human fall that constitutes tragedy.

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Henrik Ibsen

• The most prominent feature of Ibsen’s drama is that it touches issues of social reform directly by highlighting the illnesses in the society.

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• A Doll’s House

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Thank You!