Bridge Course : ThAct: Dryden - On Dramatic Poecy

TOPIC OF THE BLOG:- 

This blog is a part of Bridge Course: ThAct : On Dramatic Poecy, given by Dilip Barad From English Department, MKBU. In this blog I am going to discuss about  Aristotle's definition of tragedy, Dryden's definition of play, what is more reliable poetic drama or play written in prosaic dialogues and some other topics too. 

JOHN DRYDEN:-

For the detailed information and know about John Dryden visit my blog on Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden (Click here ).

DIFFRENCE BETWEEN ARISTOTLE'S DEFINITION OF TRAGEDY AND DRYDEN'S DEFINITION OF PLAY:- 

For Information about Aristotle visit my blog on Aristotle Poetics (Click here ). 

DEFINITION OF TRAGEDY BY ARISTOTLE:-

“Tragedy, then, is an imitation [mimēsis] of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude, in the language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative;

through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions.”

🪵 One can found this definition in his book poetics which is written in Greek language.

🪵 According to him Tragedy originated from epic which imitates the Nobel action of good men.

🪵 Tragedy imitates human life, human nature and complete in itself, imitation of an actions that is serious and complete in itself. 

🪵 The background of tragedy has actually religious meaning, The Greek philosophy of life that The Gods keep a watch over what we do and they sometimes bear offence at over violation of certain boundaries, There is tragedy behind tragedy. 

🪵 By 'Serious' Aristotle means a tale of suffering exciting, pity and fear.

🪵 By 'Complete' he means self contained with beginning, a middle and an end, it means what should be perfect. 

🪵 By of a certain magnitude he means a reasonable length that allows a proper unfolding of the plot and also easily grasped by the audience.

🪵 For certain magnitude he gave us three unities:- Unity of action, Unity of time and Unity of place. 

🪵 In the language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament means in the tragedy when all characters represents in the sad sense, a particular part for choric song in the Play - a tragedy -make a happy moment for characters of the play. This small moments in the Play he considered as pleasurable accessories of tragedy, ornaments of tragedy.

🪵The several kinds being found in separate parts of the play, by this line of a definition he means purpose of the tragedy and the purpose of his accessories or ornaments should be separated. This two things couldn't mix with each other. 

🪵 In the form of action, not of narrative, For this Aristotle explained in his Poetics that tragedy should be in dramatic form not in narrative form. Here he also explained that Epic has narrative form in tragedy has drametic or action form.

🪵 Through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions, by these he means according to critics, tragedy should have element or plot that can arouses pity and at the same time fear into audience. And after this emotions one can feel purgation (catharsis) from the tragedy.

DEFINITION OF PLAY BY JOHN DRYDEN:-

Just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind.

🪵 This definition is given by John Dryden in his work Dramatic Poecy.

🪵 This definition contains three parts. 

🪵 A play is a lively image of human nature not a mere copy of human nature, play represents the passions and humorous of human that every human contains in itself. 

🪵 He inserted word like LIVELY in definition so definition can't look bored to read.

🪵 Passions and humours keeps on changing  in humans life.

🪵 Why? For the delight and instruction of mankind.

🪵 By the change of fortune passion and humour, the life of the mankind also change. 

For the discussion on Dryden's definition of play by Dilip Barad and Dr. Sanjay watch this video.

For the discussion on Dryden's definition of play by Dr. Chetan Trivedi and Dr. M.B. Gaijan watch this video.

🌺 Aristotle's definition of tragedy and ended with catharsis while the definition of play by John Dryden ended with delight and instruction of mankind. 

🌺 Both the definition are interesting in itself. But definition of Dryden seems to be more acceptable. 

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PREFERENCE SO FAR AS POETIC OR PROSAIC DIALOGUES ARE CONCERNED IN THE PLAY?

🌸 Poetic dialogues contains dialogue which is said in poetic manner while Prosaic dialogues contains dialogues in prose style.

🌸 Poetic dialogues gives us joy prose dialogues is just a dialogue with dullness compared to poetic dialogues.

🌸 Poetic dialogues includes the best meaning of dialogues while in the prose dialogue there is only description in dialogues.

🌸 Examples of Poetic Drama:- 

🎭 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare 

🎭 ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare

🎭 GOOD FRIDAY by John Masefield

🎭 MURDER IN CATHEDRAL by T.S Eliot

For more information on poetic drama visit this site of Somnath Sarkar (Click here ).

"Never use a long word where a short one will do."

- Goerge Orwell 

🌸 Examples of Prose Drama:-

🎭 AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare (Shakespeare plays with language, complementing prose with poetry to distinguish between social classes. For example, characters from the lower classes in the play speak in prose: “Truly, thou art damned, like an ill-roasted egg all on one side.” By contrast, the nobility speak in poetic verse: ”What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue?”)(By Masterclass (Click here)

🎭 THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde 

🎭 THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov

NOTE:- If you find any problem or question or suggestions please let me know ☺️ some of the information are collected from the different sources which I mentioned after the perticular lines. 

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