Modern (20th Century) English Drama Characteristics

Modern (20th Century) English Drama: Characteristics

Modern English drama refers to plays written in the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. The drama which had suffered a steep decline during the Victorian Age was revived with great force at the beginning of the 20th century.

Three Phases of Modern Drama:

English Drama during the Modernist Period (1845-1945) falls into three categories:

1.   Social Drama: The first and the earliest phase of modernism in English Drama is marked by the plays of G.B. Shaw and John Galsworthy, which constitute the category of social drama modeled on the plays of Ibsen.

2.   Irish Movement: The second phase of Modern English drama comprises the plays of Irish movement contributed by some elites like Yeats. In this phase, the drama contained the spirit of nationalism.

3.   Poetic Drama: The third phase of the Modern English Drama comprises plays of T.S. Eliot and Christopher Fry. This phase saw the composition of poetic dramas inspired by the earlier Elizabethan and Jacobean tradition.

Major Dramatists:

1.   Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906): The father of realistic drama. ‘Doll’s House’, ‘Ghosts’, ‘An Enemy of the People’, and ‘The wild Duck’ and others.

2.   George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950): The father of comedy of ideas. Widowers' Houses, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Arms and the Man, Candida and others

3.   Oscar Wilde (1856-1900): The father of the revival of comedy of manner or the Artificial of Comedy. ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’, ‘A Woman of No Importance’, ‘An Ideal Husband’, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.

4.   John Galsworthy (1867-1933): He believed in the naturalistic technique both in the novel and drama. ‘Strike’, ‘Justice’, ‘The Skin Game’, ‘The silver Box’

5.   Harley Granville-Barker (1877-1946): dealt with domestic tragedy and problems play. ‘The Marrying of Anne Leete’, ‘The Voysey Inheritance’, ‘Waste’, ‘The Madras House’

6.   John Masefield (1878-1967): Known for his domestic tragedies. ‘The tragedy of Nan’

7.   J. M Barrie (1860-1937): His most characteristic and original play is the ‘Admirable Crichton’. Barrie’s last and most ambitious drama was ‘The Boy David’ which he was given a fine picture of the candied soul of a boyhood.

8.   T. S. Eliot (1888-1965): Wrote poetic plays reviving the Elizabethan and Jacobean tradition. ‘The Murder in the Cathedral’

Features of Modern Drama:

1. Realism:

Realism is the most significant and outstanding quality of Modern English Drama. The dramatists of the earlier years of the 20th century were interested in naturalism and they dealt with real problems of life in a realistic technique to their plays.

Henrik Ibsen a Norwegian dramatist popularized realism in Modern Drama. He dealt with the problems of real life in a realistic manner of his play. His example was followed by Galsworthy and G. B. Shaw in their plays.

2. Problem Plays:

Many modern dramatists developed a new genre of problem plays towards the end of the 19^th century. They dealt with the problems of marriage, justice, law, administration, and conflict between capital and labor in their dramas. They used theatre as a means for bringing about reforms in the conditions of society prevailing in their days. Henrik Ibsen’s play ‘A Doll’s House’ is a good example of a problem play.

3. Plays of Ideas:

Plays of Ideas were the types of discussion play in which the clash of ideas reveals the most acute problems of social and personal morality. They are essentially plays of ideas rather than action. The stage is used by dramatists to give expression to certain ideas which they want to spread in society. G. B. Shaw was the most important exponent of this genre.

4. Romanticism:

The earlier dramatists of the 20th century were Realists at the core, but the passage of time brought in a new trend of romanticism in Modern Drama. Romanticism, which had been very dear to Elizabethan Dramatists was rivived in Modern Drama and it was mainly due to Sir J. M. Barrie’s efforts that the new wave of Romanticism swept over Modern Drama for some years of the 20th century. Barrie kept aloof from realities of life and made excursions into the world of romance.

5. Poetic Plays:

In the beginning of the 20^th century, a new trend of the revival of poetic plays of Shakespeare and Marlowe was visible. T. S. Eliot (The Murder in the Cathedral) was the main dramatist who gave importance to poetic plays. Stephen Phillips, John Drink Water, Yeats, etc also wrote poetic plays.

6. History & Biography Plays:

Another trend, visible in the Modern English drama is in the direction of using history and biography for dramatic technique. Shaw’s ‘Caesar and Cleopatra’ is the best example of modern historical plays. John Drink Water’s ‘Abraham Lincoln’ and ‘Mary Stuart’ are also other popular historical plays.

         7. Irish Movement:

A new trend in the Modern English Drama was introduced by the Irish dramatists who brought about the Celtic Revival in the literature. In the hands of the Irish dramatists like Yeats, J. M. Synge, T. C. Murrey etc. drama ceased to be realistic in character and became an expression of the hopes and aspirations of the Irish people from remote ways to their own times.

         8. Impresionism:

It is a movement that shows the effects of things and events on the mind of the artist and the attempt of the artist to express his expressions. In the impressionistic plays of W.B. Yeats, the main effort is in the direction of recreating the experience of the artist and his impressions about reality rather than in presenting reality as it is. J. M. Synge and W. B. Yeats were the exponents of this genre.

CONCLUSION:

In short, we may say that modern drama is characterized by realism, romanticism, expressionism and impressionism. They deal with real social and familial issues and they sometimes open up the revolutionary taboo topics of discussion. Henrik Ibsen, G. B. Shaw, J. M. Synge, Yeats and Eliot must be credited to have brought life and vitality to English drama after the decline of drama during the 18^th and 19^th centuries.