Drama: Alive And Well

Drama: Alive and Well

There have been many dramatic plays over the centuries. Many of these plays have died in their time, while others have lived on. What makes these plays endure time and continue to be influential over time? Perhaps it is the storyline or the interesting nature of the play is what makes these dramas last. I think that it is the focus on human nature and its essential truths that keep these plays alive. Most of the plays, still enacted in theaters today, deal with social issues that people can learn from and relate to.

Social relationships seem to remain constant over time. Technology has changed dramatically, but human interaction is still basically the same. Human relationships have been recorded and interpreted by many authors in different literary genres through time. Drama has produced many lasting works. They have lasted because peoples ability to relate to them in any time frame due to the social theme, specifically, individualism, reality versus fantasy, actions and consequences, social standing, lies and deceptions, and human talents.

In ancient Greece, the people believed in many gods. It was thought that going against the will of these gods would result in punishment. The famous Greek writer, Sophocles, made a very good interpretation of this relationship between the people and the gods in the tragedy titled "Antigone." This play focused on the actions of the characters in the play, and the consequences that would result. It made a direct link between the consequences and the power of the gods. Creon, the stubborn king, would not bury Polynices even though it was the will of the gods. The blind prophet Tiresias warns Creon of this. He says “all men make mistakes, it is only human... a man can turn back on his folly, misfortune too, if he tries to make amends” (Sophocles). Creon would eventually lose his son and his wife in this ordeal. Creon was too stubborn to succumb to the gods, and that was the consequence he faced.

We can relate to this scenario today. The gods may not be that are the source of our consequences, but everyone knows that actions always bring about consequences, either by law or just life. This play may urge a reader to consider his actions when thinking of what happened to Creon.

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...erie" and its theme of escape is recognized by many people and is then kept alive in the literature world. Tennessee Williams’ ability to bring us into the mind of Tom makes the play interesting and gives it a lasting effect.

The ability to relate to characters in drama and to the social theme is the key to the lasting effect of these plays. There are many other reasons for the plays' remaining existence, but none compare to the personal relationships that are built in the dramas such as "Doll's House" and "Everyman." People enjoy this relationship, and it is those people who keep the plays in existence by purchasing the paperback or attending the play at a theater.

Works Cited

Anonymous. Everyman. Discovering Literature: Compact Edition. Ed. Guth and Rico. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. 1060-1071.

Jokinen, Anniina. Everyman: an Introduction. 29 October 1999. http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/intro.htm (2000-MAR-27).

Sophocles. Antigone. Discovering Literature: Compact Edition. Ed. Guth and Rico. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. 738-776.