Mastering Modern Drama: From Realism to Symbolism

The Transition from Romanticism to Realism

The wish for the renovation of Romantic drama failed with the audience of the time due to the ideological evolution of the bourgeoisie. There was a success of Realism in the narrative genre, characterized by formal and linguistic simplicity, which gradually spread to other genres. Two main trends emerged: bourgeois comedy, which respected dramatic unities and focused on bourgeois matters from a conservative point of view, and Romantic drama in verse, which lacked the revolutionary ideology of the Romantic era.

Henrik Ibsen: The Father of Modern Drama

Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright and director of the Norwegian National Theatre. He traveled to Italy and Germany for 27 years, where he created his best works. His career is divided into three distinct stages:

• Stage 1: Works in verse with Romantic features such as Norwegian nationalism, a vivid imagination, and action centered on a sentimental problem.
• Stage 2: Realistic drama in prose, focusing on the main social problems of his time.
• Stage 3: Symbolic character where the existential conflict is the core.

Key Features of Ibsen's Work

• Drama of ideas: Placing the debate on hypocrisy, generational conflict, and the social role of the bourgeois woman.
• Individual struggle: The fight of the individual against society, nature, or fate.
• Psychological analysis: He analyzed psychology and behavior, interested in what is hidden under the apparent behavior of characters.
• Classical structure: He followed dramatic unity and the classical resources of intrigue (e.g., Peer Gynt).

August Strindberg and Naturalism

The Swedish playwright August Strindberg went through two major stages: Naturalism and a later period where he moved away from the dramatic unities of time, place, and action. He introduced a mixture of reality and fantasy, experimenting with symbolism and expressionism (e.g., Miss Julie).

Oscar Wilde: Irony and Social Critique

Oscar Wilde wrote comedies whose protagonists were mostly high-class people. Their social habits were attacked by irony. He showed a slight nostalgia due to the disappearance of this social class and filled his plays with epigrams to reveal a cynical attitude toward social life (e.g., The Importance of Being Earnest).

Anton Chekhov: Pessimism and Hope

Anton Chekhov's dramas share recurring themes and characters: the tiredness and frustration of living, and the sadness for lost opportunities. These are reflected in mediocre beings who are unable to adapt to the coming times. While vital pessimism is the main characteristic, there is also hope for a better future through work, science, and reason (e.g., Ivanov).