Traditional theater tended to fall under a few different categories - tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and so on. Playwrights began delving into themes and topics such as: Rather than provide mere entertainment or repeat so-called time-honored lessons of morality, plays began to take more incisive, critical looks at the state of the wold. Theater at large got much more down-to-earth as modern drama became the norm. Soon enough, myriad works began appearing - and many of them revolutionized each of the five elements of drama, which include: Modern drama caught on quickly as its popularity spread throughout both Europe and America. The younger generation, in particular, lauded Ibsen’s work since they were fed up with the injustices of traditional society and eager for more scientific and philosophical views of humanity. That is, Ibsen more or less developed his own ideas about what drama should be, and, consequently, appealed to the rising demand for intellectual theater. But, as it turned out, it may have ended up being his greatest strength. The fact that Ibsen came from Norway, a country that didn’t have much of a theatrical history of its own, may have initially appeared to be his greatest weakness. Yet, for the most part, the world of theater was fairly stale. Meanwhile, the field of poetry was awash with new talents like Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, John Keats and the at-the-time-unpublished Emily Dickinson. Throughout the previous century, the theater had reached a low point in the Western world - fiction and poetry, on the other hand, flourished.īetween the mid-1700s and mid-1800s, literature soared to new heights thanks to landmark works by novelists like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Photo Courtesy: Otterbein University Theatre & Dance/WikipediaĪ Doll’s House was particularly revolutionary because it broke from traditional theatrical forms at a time when both American and European audiences were desperate for something new. In general, modern drama tends to refer to plays written from the late 1800s to the present day. Ibsen is often referred to as the “father of modern drama,” as the 1879 debut of his play A Doll’s House marks the beginning of the modern theater movement for many scholars. While modern drama is sometimes referred to as “20th-century drama,” many argue that it actually began in the late 19th century with playwright Henrik Ibsen. Doesn’t always confine itself to a clear structure and may end without a resolution.Characters are usually average, everyday people.Often focuses on relatable problems and social issues.Lofty speech, such as verse or poetry, is often incorporated in dialogue.Was very structured and ended with a clear plot resolution.Characters were often noble, royal, or somehow exalted in position.Often dealt with supernatural concepts such as fate and the role of the gods/God in human affairs.But what characteristics distinguish a modern drama from a traditional drama?

Parts of a western drama