Module 2: History of Drama
2.5. Romantic Drama and Realism

Romantic drama as a genre has ancient roots, but in the modern sense it began to take shape in the XVIII-XIX centuries, when literature and theater began to actively develop. One of the first major works in this genre can be considered "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, written at the end of the XVI century.

Romantic drama as a genre often includes the following features:

1.       Focus on emotions and feelings: The main thing in a romantic drama is the inner world of the characters, their feelings, passions, joys and sufferings.

2.     Conflict of love and obstacles: The central element is often a love story that faces various obstacles or difficulties.

3.     Character Development: Characters often go through internal changes, growth, or transformation, influenced by love and story events.

4.    Plot elements: Typically include dramatic events that may lead to a resolution or breakup of the relationship.

5.     Focus on beauty and nature: Visual and descriptive aspects can be important to convey the atmosphere of a romantic drama.

6.     Melodramatic and pathetic: ВRomantic drama often has strong emotional moments, sometimes with elements of tragedy.

7.     Exploring human relationships: An important focus is on the relationships between characters, as well as moral and ethical dilemmas.

These features can manifest themselves in different proportions depending on the particular work.

A romantic drama can represent a "new perspective on the world" for several reasons:

1.       Emotional depth: Romantic drama often allows you to delve more deeply into human emotions and feelings, exploring their versatility and complexity. This can help the viewer or reader better understand and empathize with other people.

2.     Relationship research: The genre focuses on relationships between people, which allows you to consider various aspects of human interactions, including love, friendship, family relationships and conflicts.

3.     Moral and Ethical issues: A romantic drama often presents the viewer or reader with complex dilemmas and questions about values, loyalty, compassion, and justice.

4.    Cross-cutting message: Many romantic dramas carry a deep meaning or message about the importance of human relationships and the ability of people to change and grow through love and connecting with others.

5.     Reflection on life: Reflecting on real human experiences and feelings can help the viewer better understand themselves and their own relationships with the world around them.

In the second half of the XIX century, such a trend as realism was formed. It emerged in response to Romanticism and its idealization of the world and led to changes in approaches to the creation and interpretation of theatrical works. A few key aspects of this process are:

1.       Philosophical basis: Romanticism put forward the idea of idealization, fantasy and higher reality, while realism aimed to reflect real life, even if it was prosaic and unpretentious.

2.     Psychological depth: Romanticism tended towards emotional intensity and passion, while realism focused on the psychological veracity of the characters and their motivations.

3.     Plot and structure: Romantic dramas often contained complex intrigues and mythical elements, while realism brought more straightforward plots and a more realistic structure to the works.

4.    Images and characters: Romanticism created idealized historical and symbolic characters, while realism sought to create ordinary and more typical personalities.

5.     Environment and scenery: Realism often raised the importance of details and descriptions of the environment to create an authentic atmosphere, while Romanticism often ignored details in favor of symbolic images.

An example of the transition from Romanticism to realism in drama is Henrik Ibsen’s The Doll's House (1879), which was one of the first realistic works in modern drama and rejected the romantic conventions of the time.

This transition in drama from Romanticism to realism emphasized the importance of reflecting reality, social problems, and the psychological complexity of human relationships.

The main features of realism in drama include the following elements:

1.       Focus on the everyday: Realism in drama seeks to depict everyday life and everyday events. Characters, dialogues, and situations should appear realistic and close to real life.

2. Psychological depth of characters: Realistic dramas usually pay attention to the inner world of the characters. They show their motivations, feelings, internal conflicts, and emotions.

3.     Objectivity and Neutrality: Realism in drama strives for objectivity and neutrality. This means that the author should not express strong subjective opinions or ideological attitudes through drama. It should provide the viewer with the opportunity to independently judge events and characters.

4. Dialogues and language: Dialogues in a realistic drama should be natural and correspond to real speech. The language should be accessible and understandable.

5.     Social history: Realism in drama often reflects the social and economic realities of its time. They can take a critical look at societal issues, inequality, class differences, and other sociocultural aspects.

6. No miracles or supernatural events: Realistic drama excludes elements of fantasy, magic, and supernatural events. It is focused on displaying the real world.

7.     Conflicts and dramaturgy: Realism does not exclude the presence of dramatic conflicts, but they should be presented in the context of realistic events and relationships.

All these elements together create an atmosphere of realism in the drama, making it close to real life and focusing on human relations and socio-cultural aspects.

Realism in drama had many outstanding representatives. Some of them are:

1.       Anton Chekhov is a Russian playwright known for his realistic plays such as The Cherry Orchard and Three Sisters. His works are characterized by deep characters and analysis of human psychology.

2.     Henrik Ibsen is a Norwegian playwright whose plays, such as "The Doll" and "Enemy of the People", reflect the social and moral problems of his time.

3.     Arthur Miller is an American playwright, author of the play "Death of a Salesman", which explores the themes of family, morality and the American dream.

4.    Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Colombian author best known for his play One Hundred Years of Solitude, which combines magical realism with realistic elements.

5.     Gustave Flaubert is a French novelist and author of the play "Madame Bovary", which critically highlights the moral and social aspects of the society of his time.

These playwrights made a significant contribution to the development of realism in drama and created works that left a deep mark on world literature.