The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-06-09

|ssaSsss
The drama from the ssek
LIDO impite action We might there
lfnFe cail the drama poetry In mott
The dfamn is perhaps the most fces
,eibls ot2 All poetry sinse sit posssssssl
two ayenties OF outlet Tor lis express
sion
First the subj feet matter. We reafil
ia product lon. we learn the trend Snf;
the plot. the nature of the characters,
the force OF the writer. We note hist
idiction his clearness, and his plan,
of eonstructIo ng Y n. III
Second I'VE see the drama acted
We get a deeper insight into the char
'acters, second meaning from the /
production. we see. not 50 many ges
Of printed matter. but 80 many days,
so many lives. The actor has Ico-ope-
rated with the author and has given
the world a thrill. A historian record:
ed. in his chronicles that q Scottish
thane murdered his king and susurpeds
The throne. Years afterwards d sbarl
took the same event and mad $ a Mac
beth for the world.
In Othello. the dramatic touch Is not
In the checkered story OF young
Moor engaged In the Venetian army
but in the purity OF a Desdemona:S the
faithfulness OF an Emilia: the child
like love OF an Othello. the baseness
and deviltryi Of an Iago. etc.
Since the Greeks named the drama,
the Inference is that the Greeks had
some of the! drama, and indeed the j;
had Their great feasts and celebra-:
lions In honor OF some God or Cod.
dess whenl .songs would be sung,
Il,oetry read and recitel; these. COM.
bined with the actions Of the spartlcl;.
pants were the foundations OF the.
drama. To increase the power and at
traction Of the plays the Greeks built,
great stheaters, rs example. i the great,
$Amphitheater of D,oysus.i In these
great structures the drama was pre-
sented TO the public. Il -
The growth of the drama, like all
other lasting things. was slow bit.
certain. After, the crude productions
of the early Greeks. many years elaps.
ell before the drama attained some OF
the projections which 1t now has. The
drama like many other thin gs Of Inn
port was introduced and furthered by
the church. The drama got It's mod
ern trend thus: a scrlptural event
such as The Creation. The 6Incarna-
t!on. The Betrayal. The Cruciflxion,
The Resurrection. The, Ascension, or
some event connected with the life
OF some Saint was taken up by the.
clergy and presented to the public In
some church,housc. These y were
known as Miracle and Mystery plays.
Later as their popularity Increased
and more people acted them and more
people saw, they were played on the.
church grounds: Soon afterwards, s.
when the laity gaged in the plays.
the church. forbade the llse of church.
property for this purpose and the
plays were given in the streets.
For this purpose a two story stage
en- wheels was erected: the upper,
floor being used for the presentation
of the play, the lower part for. a dress
ing room. All parts were assumed BY
males, the female parts being acted by
boys and youths. The first play to
have female parts assigned to women
was about the middle of the seven
teenth century. n
Following the Miracle and Mystery
plays came the Moral plays. in which
personitied virtues were made to con.
test with personfied vices. Thus. in
q Moral play, Love was made to fight
and conquer Hate, Generosity was
placed against Greed: and all through
the line, human virtues We're pitted
against human vices. The outcome
OF the play was generally vice over
thrown by virtue. The Moral plays
were abandoned because they be.
came dull and monotonous.s
After the Moral plays were abnn-
doned. that which was the real start
OF the modern drama began. Differ
ent characters were introduced, his
4 torical events were taken up and used.
Irregularities and mannerisms OF n
king or queen. some noble. some cour.
4 tier. or OF some subject were moulded
around the event and the drama be
: l}fsA5tf 81. lls q s.,S5