A Brief History of British Drama

ABriefHistoryofBritishDramaAbstract：Inthisthesis，IdliketoanalyzetheEnglishdrama.EnglishdramafromtheverybeginningtothepresenttimegivesusageneralknowledgeaboutthecharacteristicsofdifferentperiodsinEnglishdramashistory.Keywords：Britishdrama；Miracleplay；Englishrenaissance1.IntroductionEnglishdramaisoneofthemostimportantpartsinEnglishliterature.Englishplaysarethemostinteresting，energeticandpoplarinWesternCulture.ThebriefintroductiontoEnglishdramafromtheverybeginningtothepresenttimegivesusageneralknowledgeaboutthecharacteristicsofdifferentperiodsinEnglishdramashistory.Specialemphasisislaidonthetrendsofdramaandthemostimportantdramatistsandtheirrepresentativeworks.2.ThebeginningofBritishdrama2.1TheMiracleplay（orMystery）Englishdramahadrootsreachingbacktothemiracleplaysofthemiddleages.Fromthe13thtothe15thcentury，themiracleplayswereenactedinsome125townandvillages.The“miracles”weresimpleplaysbasedonBiblestories，suchasthecreationoftheworld，Noahandtheflood，andthebirthofChrist.Theywereatfirstperformedinthechurches.1p37TherewereusuallyproducedonfeastdayssuchasChristmas，Easter，andCorpusChristiDay.Themiracleplaysarenotallreligious.ThestoriesfromtheBiblewereusuallyadaptedanddramatizedbythecommonpeopleandforthecommonpeople.Thesupernaturalisoftenskillfullyblendedwiththehomeliestrealism.Intheplayentitled“TheShepherd”，originallyperformedbythecraftsofWakefield，therearesignificanttouchesofreallife.Thisplay，writteninthelatterpartofthe14thcentury，reflectstheconditionoftheage，whenthepeasantsweregrounddownbyspecialtaxesandbytheoppressionofthegentry.2p322.2ThemoralityThemoralityappearedabout1400asanoffshootofthemiracleplay.Insteadofbiblicalcharacters-Adam，Eve，Noah，Abraham，orJudasIscariot-thewritersofmoralitiesgavesuchnamestotheircharactersasMercy，Mischief，Conscience，Folly，Strength，Knowledge，GoodDeeds.“Everyman”isthefinestofmoralities.Inthemoralitiesthebiblicalstuffisthrownoff，andtheplaywrightwillfindhiswaytofreeinvention.2p332.3TheinterludeThentherearoseanewkindofdramacalled“Interlude”，ashortperformanceslippedintoaplaytoenliventheaudienceafterasolemnscene.Aninterestinginterludeis“ThePlayoftheWeather”.2.4TheclassicaldramaMeanwhile，throughtherevivalofclassicalliteratureEnglishplaywrightscameintocontactwithGreekandLatindrama.Fromittheylearnedallimportantlessonsinstructureandstyle，moreexactconceptionsofcomedyandtragedy，andtheorderlydivisionintofiveacts.Comediesandtragediesonclassicalmodelsappearedinthemiddleofthe16thcentury.“GammerGrtonsNeedle”（1562）isthefirstEnglishcomedydescribingaquarreloverthelossofaneedle.“Gorboduc”（1562）isthefirstEnglishtragedy.Miracleplays，moralityplay，interludesandclassicalplays-suchweretheformsofdramaprevailinguntilthereignofElizabeth.TheseearlyplaysdidmuchintrainingactorsandkeepingalivetheEnglishdramatictradition，andpavedthewayfortheflourishingofdrama.1p38-393.BritishdramaintheEnglishrenaissance3.1ChritopherMarloweThemostpreeminentfigureamongtheuniversityWitwasChristopherMarlows，whowasthegreatestplaywrightbeforetheriseofShakespeare.Marlowesadventanddemisearebotharchetypalinhistory.Ageniusofararekindwithahugeamountofpotentialcryingforanoutlet，Marlowerepresentsthecreativeexuberanceandexplosiveenergyinwhichhisageexcelled.WithinthespaceofsomesixyearsafterheleftCambridgeUniversity，hepublishedthreegreattragediesinquicksuccession-TamburlainetheGreatattheageof23，TheJewofMaltaat25，andTheTragicalHistoryofDoctorFaustusat28inadditiontoalotofremarkablepoemssuchasHeroandLeanderandThePassionateShepherd，andleftthesceneinasuddendeathat29.3p473.2WilliamShakespeareWilliamShakespeareisthemostpopularandmostwidelyrespectedwriterinallEnglishliterature.Toshowhispopularity，moreofthepopularsayingswehavecomefromShakespearethanfromanyothersourceexceptfromtheBible.Hisplaysarestillperformedafteralltheseyears，andhispoemsarestillread，despitethefactthelanguagehaschangedsincehisdays，whichmakesproblemsforhisreaders.3p51ButthebulkofShakespearesworkishisplays，37innumber，eachoneofwhichisstillabletocaptivatemodernaudiences.Shakespearsuniverseisaveritablemicrocosmofthehumanworld，wherealmostalltypesofpeopleexistandallkindsofeventsoccur.Hisdramaticworkisamazinginitsvariety：thehistoriesandcomediesofhisearlyperiod（before1600），thetragediesofthemiddleor“tragic”period（1600-1608），andthelateperiodofromancesoftheperiodofserenity（1608-1612）.Theprogressionfromonephasetothenextindicates，inhistoricalretrospect，thestagesofgrowthintheplaywrightsawarenessoflifeandtheworldofman.Theworksofthefirstperiodaregenerallyhappyandcheerful.TheplayssuchasHenryIV（1590-91），LovesLaborslost（1590），RichardIII（1593），RomeoandJuliet（1595），AmidsummerNightsDream（1595），TheMerchantofVenice（1596），TheMerryWivesofWindsor（1597），andAsYouLikeIt（1599）-allthesedramasendhappily.Astheplaywrightexperiencedlifeatcloserquarters，andtastedpersonaltragedy，includingthedeathofhisonlyson，anoteoffrustrationsetsintheworksofthesecond，orthetragicperiod.Allhismajortragedieswerewrittenwithinthespceofafewyears：JuliusCaesar（1599？），Hamlet（1601），Othello（1604），KingLear（1605），Macbeth（1606），AntonyandCleopatra（1607），andTimonofAthens（1607）.Eventhecomedieswrittenintheperiod，AllsWellthatEndswell（1603）andMeasureforMeasure（1603），revealaShakespearewearingawrysmile.Thelastperiodofhislifewasoneofemotionaltranquilitywhenhemusthavewonthroughpainandpossiblyanervousbreakdowntoacceptanceoftheinevitabilityoflife.TheplaysoftheperiodincludeCymbeline（1609），Winterstale（1610-11），andThetempest（1611）.3p53ShakespearehasbeenuniversallyacknowledgedtobethesummitoftheEnglishRenaissance，andoneofthegreatestwriterstheworldover.3.3BenJonsonOfthemanycontemporariesandsuccessorsofShakespeare，themostwell-knowwasBenJonson（1572-1637）.Onceabrick-layer，Jonsonrose，stillinhisthirties，tobeoneoftheleadingdramatistsoftheday.Amongthetargetsofattackinhiscomediesarearistocraticandbourgeoischaracters.Oneofhisbest-knowncomediesis“Volpone”.AfterShakespeare，theEnglishdramawasundergoingaprocessofdecline.Thereweremoreandmorecheapsensationalism，“bloodandthunder”，andlicentiousscenesuponthestage.Andin1642，only26yearsafterShakespearesdeath，theLondontheatreswerecloseddownaltogether.1p854.Britishdramainthe18thcentury4.1HenryFieldingInthebriefspaceofnineyears（1729-37），Fieldingwrote26plays.Whiletheyoungplaywrightturnedoutdramaafterdramawithremarkablerapidity，hewasatthesametimeverycarefulinthepracticeofhisart.Hisplaysincluderegularcomedies，adaptationfromtheFrench，farces，burlesques，anddramaticsatires.ButintheburlesquesanddramaticsatiresFieldingasaplaywrightwasathisbest.Fieldings“HistoricalRegister，”togetherwithhisotherpoliticosatiricplays，hadwongreatsuccessonthestage.1p1444.2RichardBrinsleySheridanRichardBrinsleySheridan（1751-1816）ismostoutstandingdramatistoftherealisticschoolinthe18thcentury.HewasborninanIrishfamily；hisfatherwasanactorandhismotheranauthoress.Sheridanwas23whenhisfirstcomedy“TheRivals”（1775）wasstaged.Besides“TheRivals”，Sheridanwroteseveralotherplays.Buthis“SchoolforScandal”（1777）isthebestartisticachievementoftheEnglishdramaofthe18thcenturyandoneofthebestEnglishcomediesofalltimes.1p1645.Britishdramainthe19thcenturyThedramawastheonlygreatliteraryformthatwasnotasinglegreatdramainthestrictersenseoftheterm.Thebestthatwecansayisthattherewassomereallynoblepoetrywritteninnominallydramaticform.Duringthenineteenthcentury，thedramaseemstohavebeenpracticallysupersededbythenovelasamediumfortheportrayalofitscomplexformsoflifeandcharacter.4p66.Britishdramainthe20thcentury6.1OscarWildeForhisroleasaspokesmanforAestheticismWildehadmanygifts.AsapoetWildefeltovershadowedbytheVictorianpredecessorswhomheadmired：Browning，Rossetti，andSwinburne，andhadtroublefindinghisownvoice.Hismostoutstandingsuccesswasasawriterofcomedies，whichwerestagedinLondonandNewYorkfrom1892through1895，includingLadyWindermeresFan，aWomanofNoImportance，AnIdealHusband，andTheImportanceofBeingEarnest.4p3766.2GeorgeBernardShawGeorgeBernardShaw（1856-1950）sonofacivilservant，wasIrishinbirthbutofYorkshireblood.AfterhischildhoodinDublin，hisyouthwasaperiodofpovertyandstruggleinLondonasajournalist.Afterwritingfiveunsuccessfulnovels，Shawturnedin1892tothedrama.Inhalf-a-centuryheproducedmorethanthirtyplays，someofwhicharestillpopularonthestage.Withabrilliantwithewroteagainstgreedandhypocrisyandinjusticeofcapitalistsociety.HissatirerangedovertheChurchandState，thelaw，penology，medicine，pseudoscienceandnumberlessothersubjects.Amonghisimportantdramasare“Mrs.WarrensProfession”（1894），“ArmsandtheMan”（1894），“candida”（1895），“ManandSuperman”（1903），“Pygmalion”（1913），“HeartBreakHouse”（1917），“TheAppleCart”（1930）.Mrs.WarrensProfessionisconsideredhismasterpiece，whichdealswiththeproblemofprostitutionandthetrafficinwomeninbourgeoissociety.2p2346.3JohnGalsworthyHeisanimportantEnglishplaywrightinthemodernperiod.Heconcernedwiththesocialproblemsofthetemporaryperiod.HisfirstplayisJustice（1910）.HismainworksareTheEldestSon（1912），TheFugitive（1913），TheMob（1914），TheSkinGame（1920），Loyalties（1922），andExiled（1929）.5p3466.4T.S.EliotHeisagreatmodernistpoet，andimportantversedramatistandagreatprosewriter.HewasawardedtheNobelPrizeforliteraturein1948.6p26HismainworksareSweeneyAgonistes（1934），MurderintheCathedral（1935）andTheFamilyReunion（1939）.MurderintheCathedralishismasterpiece.5p3526.5W.S.MaughamW.S.MaughamisconsideredasthemostimportantplaywrightexceptSh