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must be imaginative and the most fantastic events and surrounding can still be accepted as “ human action “. This kind of interpreting of “ imitation” and action also
opens the door to the important element of thought drama.
In the ingredients of the drama is one way of approaching these means of realizing the drama is to examine the component parts of the play. Aristotle cited six
elements as essential to a play : plot, thought, character, diction, music and spectacle Tennyson, 1967: 6.
2.9 Types of Tragic Drama A. Greek Tragedy Classical Tragedy .
The Greek tragedy originated in the religious festivals in honour of Dionysus, the wine God, and such the underlying spirit which informs the Greek tragedies is
essentially that of religious ceremony. The fate of the Greek heroes is predestined, and there was no escape from the decree of fate. They may fight hard to undo this decree,
but all their fight no vail. The subject of the Greek tragedies were drawn from the sacred myths which
were already known to the audience. The treatment of the subjects familiar to the audience eliminated surprise as a dramatic effect, and gave great scope for what is
known as the dramatic irony. The Greek tragedies are marked by the conspicuous absence of the scenes of horror and violence. The scenes of violence, murders and
battle take place of the stage, and are reported to the audience by the minor characters such as messengers or heralds Sinha, 1977:94-95.
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B. Romantic Tragedy
Romantic tragedy is primarily the tragedy of character. In this type of tragedy it is the hero himself who, by some guilty act or some error in judgment or some defect
in his character. It creates events which bring about ultimate ruin, the catastrophe which overtake the tragic hero is the inevitable rebound of his own act or error. As
romantic tragedy sanction the use of subplots and subordinate incident and characters. In the romantic tragedy the scenes of violence, horror, murder, bloodshed and battles
are freely exhibited on stage Sinha,1977:96
C. The Tragedy of Revenge and Blood
Tragedy is generally associated with revenge, murder, and bloodshed. In a tragedy of revenge and blood, plenty of bloodshed, murders, suicides, and cruel deeds,
and the action of the play moves round the motive of revenge. In revenge tragedy the ghost of the murdered man appears before its near and dear one to tell him about the
necessity of taking revenge. The hero of this type of tragedy is the revenge incarnate; to avenge himself on the death of his near and dear on is his sole concern, and
obsesses him mind so much as to obliterate all other consideration moral or physical Sinha,1977:97.
D. Heroic Drama of 17
th
century.
Heroic drama is a term which is applied to the tragedies of the restoration period. The heroes of heroic tragedies are all persons of gigantic proportions,
endowed with superhuman powers and with superhuman ideals; the heroines are all paragon of beauty and constancy. The heroic tragedy proper employed few characters,
admitted no comic element and excluded all classes of society except the nobility sinha,1977 : 100.
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E. Domestic Tragedy
Domestic tragedy is as the very title implies in the tragedy of the ordinary domestic life. It presents the vicissitudes of things below of the things which belong to
the everyday homely life. It is not concerned with the fates or fortunes of kings of princes or persons of great public importance rather it treats of private woe. The
suffering and pitfalls of ordinary men women specially of middle class persons. The domestic tragedy it’s soon gave way to the fight flown action and speech of the heroic
or pseudo-classical tragedy Sinha,1977: 102-103
2.10. Types of comedy A . The Romantic Comedy