Short Questions with Answers
1. What does the word ‘Drama’ mean?
Answer : The word ‘Drama’ means “something done” and comes from Greek.
2. What are the two main aspects of drama?
Answer : Drama is both a type of writing and a type of performance art.
3. What are the main dramatic elements?
Answer : The main elements of drama are plot, character, dialogue, actions, scenery, and music.
4. What is the purpose of Miracle Plays?
Answer : Miracle Plays were made to teach religious lessons in an entertaining way.
5. What was the first known Miracle Play in England?
Answer : The first known Miracle Play in England was Ludus de Sancta Kathurian.
6. What are Morality Plays?
Answer : Morality Plays are stories where characters represent good qualities like Beauty or Peace.
7. Who was a famous writer of Interludes?
Answer : John Heywood was a famous writer of Interludes.
8. What is the first English comedy?
Answer : The first English comedy was Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall.
9. Who wrote the first English tragedy?
Answer : The first English tragedy was Gorboduc, written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton.
10. What are the types of drama?
Answer : Drama types include tragedy, comedy, tragi-comedy, farce, melodrama, masque, and one-act plays.
11. What is a Farce?
Answer : A Farce is a funny play meant to make people laugh a lot.
12. What is the essence of Shakespeare’s tragedies?
Answer : Shakespeare’s tragedies explore deep human emotions and show how people are responsible for their own fate.
13. Who was Shakespeare’s greatest contemporary?
Answer : Ben Jonson was Shakespeare’s greatest contemporary playwright.
14. What was the hallmark of Jacobean drama?
Answer : Jacobean drama became darker and less hopeful than Elizabethan drama.
15. What type of comedy emerged during the Restoration Age?
Answer : The Comedy of Manners emerged, focusing on the behavior of rich people.
16. Who revived verse drama in the 20th century?
Answer : T.S. Eliot revived verse drama with plays like Murder in the Cathedral.
17. What is Samuel Beckett’s famous play?
Answer : Samuel Beckett’s famous play is Waiting for Godot.
18. What are Wole Soyinka’s notable plays?
Answer : Wole Soyinka’s famous plays are A Dance of the Forest and The Lion and the Jewel.
19. What is Girish Karnad’s famous play translated into English?
Answer : Girish Karnad’s famous play translated into English is Tughlaq.
20. What are Rabindranath Tagore’s popular plays in English?
Answer : Rabindranath Tagore’s popular plays in English are Chitra and Red Oleander.
Medium Questions with Answers
1. What are the key components of dramatic structure?
Answer : Dramatic structure includes exposition (introduction), complication (building action), crisis (turning point), denouement (falling action), and catastrophe or conclusion. These parts guide how the story develops. Tragedies end with a catastrophe, while comedies end with a conclusion.
2. What is the principle of contrast in drama?
Answer : Contrast in drama helps show differences between characters or ideas. It creates tension and keeps the story interesting. It is especially important in conflicts between good and evil or between different characters.
3. How did Miracle Plays evolve in England?
Answer : Miracle Plays began as church performances to teach religious stories. Over time, they became public plays, performed by guilds and town councils. By the 14th century, they were popular across England and set the stage for more complex drama.
4. Who were the University Wits, and what was their role?
Answer : The University Wits were a group of writers including John Lyly and Christopher Marlowe. They helped shape English drama by combining classical ideas with new forms. Their work influenced Shakespeare and laid the foundation for Elizabethan theatre.
5. What is the Comedy of Manners, and when did it emerge?
Answer : The Comedy of Manners emerged during the Restoration period and pokes fun at the behavior of wealthy people. Playwrights like Congreve and Wycherley used humor to show how the upper class behaved. These plays focused on witty dialogue and social issues.
6. How did Shakespeare reflect Renaissance values in his plays?
Answer : Shakespeare’s plays focus on human free will and responsibility, which were important Renaissance ideas. His characters make choices that shape their fates, showing the value of personal responsibility. His works focus on human emotions and complexities.
7. What are the contributions of T.S. Eliot to modern drama?
Answer : T.S. Eliot brought verse back to modern theatre with plays like Murder in the Cathedral. His works combine poetry with deep philosophical themes. He explored spiritual and personal struggles, changing the way people thought about drama.
8. What themes do Arthur Miller’s plays explore?
Answer : Arthur Miller’s plays, like Death of a Salesman, explore the pressures of society and the struggles of individuals. His characters often face conflicts about their personal dreams and societal expectations. His work highlights the flaws in the American Dream.
9. How did Girish Karnad contribute to Indian drama in English?
Answer : Girish Karnad translated his Kannada plays into English, making them accessible to a global audience. His works, like Tughlaq, explore historical and cultural themes. Karnad’s contributions helped introduce Indian drama to the world.
10. What is unique about Wole Soyinka’s plays?
Answer : Wole Soyinka combines traditional African themes with modern drama techniques. His plays address issues like social justice and post-colonial struggles. Soyinka’s work connects African culture with global themes of fairness and brotherhood.
Long Questions with Answers
1. How did Morality Plays differ from Miracle Plays?
Answer : Morality Plays were more focused on teaching lessons about virtues and vices, personifying them through characters like Beauty and Strength. Miracle Plays, on the other hand, were based on religious stories and aimed to strengthen faith. Morality Plays were allegorical, while Miracle Plays told biblical stories. Both contributed to early English theatre and laid the foundation for later dramatic forms.
2. What was the significance of the Renaissance in shaping English drama?
Answer : The Renaissance brought back interest in ancient Greek and Roman literature, influencing English drama. Playwrights like Shakespeare used Renaissance ideas about humanism, individuality, and free will. These ideas led to deeper character development and more complex themes in plays. The Renaissance helped shape drama as a powerful tool to explore human nature and emotion.
3. What are the key themes in Shakespeare’s tragedies?
Answer : Shakespeare’s tragedies explore themes like ambition, betrayal, love, and fate. In plays such as Hamlet and Othello, his characters struggle with deep emotional conflicts and moral dilemmas. His tragedies often show how human decisions lead to tragic outcomes, emphasizing free will. These plays reflect the complexities of human nature and remain timeless for their emotional depth.
4. How did the Restoration Age influence English drama?
Answer : The Restoration Age brought the return of theatres after they were closed during the Puritan rule. It introduced the Comedy of Manners, which made fun of the upper class’s behavior. Playwrights like Congreve and Wycherley used humor to explore social norms. The period also saw improvements in staging and production, leading to a more polished form of drama.
5. How did African drama contribute to English theatre?
Answer : African playwrights like Wole Soyinka added a rich layer of cultural depth to English theatre. Soyinka’s plays address issues like colonialism, social injustice, and cultural pride while blending traditional African storytelling with modern drama techniques. His work shows the importance of justice and freedom, bringing African voices to the global stage. His plays have become influential worldwide.
6. What are Samuel Beckett’s contributions to drama?
Answer : Samuel Beckett revolutionized theatre with his minimalist and absurdist plays, like Waiting for Godot. His works explore the emptiness and meaninglessness of human existence, often using simple sets and dialogue. Beckett’s approach challenged traditional theatre and gave a new voice to modern existential themes. His plays are known for their philosophical depth and their impact on modern drama.
7. How did Indian dramatists contribute to English drama?
Answer : Indian playwrights like Rabindranath Tagore and Girish Karnad used English to present cultural and political themes. Tagore translated his Bengali plays, such as Chitra, into English, showcasing Indian spirituality and moral issues. Karnad’s Tughlaq blends historical events with contemporary concerns, gaining international recognition. Their contributions made Indian perspectives an important part of global theatre.
8. What themes do Arthur Miller’s plays explore?
Answer : Arthur Miller’s plays focus on personal responsibility, family dynamics, and the American Dream. In Death of a Salesman and All My Sons, Miller highlights how societal pressures affect individuals and lead to moral conflicts. His works examine the failures and contradictions in the American Dream, focusing on characters caught between personal ambition and social expectations.
Leave a Reply