Chapter - 22

Twentieth Century Drama

Question- Write an essay on the Twentieth Century Drama.

Or
Write a note on the Modern Drama.
Or
Write an essay on 20th century Poetic Drama.
Or 
Write an essay on poetic Drama in Twentieth Century and contribution of T. S Eliot to it.

Answer-

The modern of the twentieth century drama was founded in the last decade or the nineteenth century. He exercised the greatest influence on the modern English drama. His influence on the English drama is clearly marked after 1890. Ibsen taught men that drama must deal with human emotions, with things near and dear to ordinary men and women. Among the English dramatists, Arthur Pinero is considered to be the pioneer of the modern drama. He holds one of the chief positions in the world of pre-modern drama. He exercised enormous influence on the dramatist of the eighteen-nineties. He is remembered most for his four problem plays - The Second Mrs. Tan Queray', "The Notorious Mrs. Edgesmith', 'Iria', and 'Mid-Channel'. He is acclaimed as a master of his craft, and as one of the most important figures in the dramatic revival of the modern times. H.A. Jones is another playwright worthy of mention. Both Pinero and Jones contributed a good deal towards a revitalization of the theatre.

Realistic Drama : In the modern drama, the melodramatic Romanticism was replaced by stark realism. The treatment of actual life began. The drama became a drama of ideas. It assumed the form of revolt against the past literary models, against the current social conventions, against the prevailing Victorian morality. Sex occupies the greatest place in the modern drama. Romantic love was ruthlessly attacked. The Victorian prudery yielded place to a new scientific view of life. Cynicism appeared in place of the Victorian compromise. The dramatists loved to make life and nature play the great part on the stage. The desire for liberty increased in every sphere of life. The modern playwrights, mainly Shaw and Galsworthy were keenly alive to the squalor and miseries of cites; to the terror of modern civilization, to the class- war. This they painted in the plays. Modern drama became wholly realistic.

The Theatre : Modern theatre became static, inner conflict was substituted for outer conflict. The investigation in the field of psychology contributed a great deal in this respect. This brought in a significant change in the art of drama. Symbolism was employed to express the inexpressible ideas, emotions and instincts discovered by the modern psychologists. This led to the introduction of sordid subject matter on to a higher and truly tragic plane.

The modern theatre has made commendable improvement in technique and design. The state has helped the drama to establish itself. The customs authorities gave up the practice of levying entertainment tax on the companies organized on a non-profit-making basis. Further they granted several other relaxations. An enlarged audience for the theatre is developed. The co-operation of audience, actor, technician, producer and author has considerably increased. In this age of information technology, the modern stage is much more equipped than either the Elizabethan, or a Restoration, or even the Victorian stage was ever equipped. This enabled the modern playwrights to include stage-directions profusely in the texts. With the help of electricity the most abstract themes can be beautifully enacted on the stage, even the inner conflict can be depicted with perfect artistic skill in a most realistic manner.

The Theme : The increased inwardness as discussed earlier, changed the form of the protagonists; the unseen social forces replaced men. In many cases institutions like the judiciary played the part of villains. Their role became much more painful, ruthless and poignant. Galsworthy was the greatest master of this art. His plays are problem plays and the plays of ideas. They are social and domestic tragedies.

The revival of the comedy of manner is another remarkable feature of the modern drama. A definite return is made to the witty, satirical comedy of Congreve. Oscar Wilde and Henry Arthur Jones aided in the establishment of this form of drama. Shavian comedy is most remarkable in this respect. His plays are comedies of purpose. According to A. Nicoll, "They aim at being as laughable as Congreve's, stinging as Jonson's, as profound as Ibsen's. Shaw is a peculiar admixture of Ibsen and Wycheley." Shaw's plays have contributed immensely to the modern drama.

Characterisation : The characters in the modern drama are drawn from the lowliest strata of life. They are common people. The Shakespeare's conception of the tragic hero is reversed. The hero in a modern tragedy is no more a king or a price, or a man in high degree. He may be a clerk, a grocer, a driver, or a soldier. The part of the villain is played by some social institution. The conflicts between the individual and the society, the circumstances and the environment play great roles. The characterisation is done on the realistic basis. Sentiments and emotions are not taken care of. Stark realism is mark of characterization in the modern drama.

Language and Dialogues : A part from the poetic drama represented mostly by T.S. Eliot, Yeats, Auden, Bridges, Christopher, Isherwood, Stephen Phillip etc. The modern drama is generally in prose. The playwrights have worked hard to make the language of the drama most suitable for the forceful and impressive dialogues. The dramatists have evolved a dramatic prose which is characterized by a subtle melody, imaginative quality and rhythm.

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