‘Drama’ is an Ancient Greek word
meaning ‘act’ or ‘deed’. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle used this term
in a very influential treatise called the Poetics. In this text, Aristotle
classified different forms of poetry according to basic features he thought
could be commonly recognized in their composition. He used the term ‘drama’ to
describe poetic compositions that were ‘acted’ in front of audiences in a theatre.
While Aristotle offered drama as a
general term to describe forms of poetry that were ‘acted’, he identified
different types of composition within this category, including comedy and
tragedy. He regarded comedy as a form of drama because it represented acts that
made audiences laugh and he considered tragedy a form of drama because it
represented acts that made audiences feel pity or fear. The Roman theorist
Horace introduced another view of these poetic forms when he suggested that
their purpose was to either delight or instruct. Although various definitions
and developments in drama must be considered in addition to Aristotle’s
original assessment of dramas, many of the terms of classification he
introduced are still used or debated today.
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