Understanding Dramatic Arts: Definitions and Elements

1. Defining Drama

Drama represents an event or conflict in human lives through the dialogue of its characters.

2. Modalities of Drama Explained

• Dramatic Text: Graphic-linguistic expression called a "script." It is a written message the playwright builds to be decoded by a reader, who imagines situations, spaces, and characterization.
• Theatre Performance: The word "theater" (from the Greek *Theatron*) represents the place where the show occurs.

3. Elements in a Stage Assembly

Five essential elements involved in carrying out a stage assembly are:

• Forum
• Backdrop
• Set
• Curtain
• Stage Space (including the proscenium and lighting)

4. Defining Poetry

Poetry is a way of expressing emotions through a lyrical text. It is an artistic expression of beauty through language, often referred to as the art of poetry.

5. Procedure for Lyric Expression

The lyric procedure involves:

• Verse and Prose (regular and irregular forms).

Theatrical Genres and Forms

• The Tragedy is a subgenre of theater that means "singing of the goat." Its communicative intention is to provoke fear and compassion.
• The Drama is a Greek term meaning "to do." Its communicative intention is to provoke compassion and laughter.
• The Farce is made up of exaggerated characters and events, sometimes even to the grotesque.
• The Sketch is a very small piece of light comic character, dominated by fast and fluid dialogue. It is also called an "intermission."
• The Opera is a dramatic composition whose story is presented through song, accompanied by symphonic music and dance.
• The Journal is a play distinguished by the simplicity of its plot and the combination of singing, dancing, and music.
• The Comedy addresses serious issues, but its communicative intention is to provoke laughter.
• The Entremés is a comic text of a single act, typically of popular cut.
• The Loa is an expression that recalls a brief theatrical fact worthy of commemoration.
• The Auto is a short and simple composition with a religious theme.

Key Poetic Terminology

Stanza: A group of lines that share meter and rhyme.

Sinalefa: An artificial diphthong formed when the last syllable of a word ending in a vowel combines with the first syllable of the next word beginning with a vowel.

Sonnet: A composition consisting of two quartets and two triplets, using rhyme and verses of 11 syllables.

Metro: The measurement of verses, determined by counting syllables.