What Is Drama?‘Drama’ is an Ancient Greek word meaning ‘act’ or ‘deed’. The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle used this term in a very influential treatise called the Poetics. In this text, Aristotle classified different forms of poetry according to basic features he thought could be commonly recognised in their composition. He used the term ‘drama’ to describe poetic compositions that were ‘acted’ in front of audiences in a theatron. While Aristotle offered drama as a general term to describe forms of poetry that were ‘acted’, he identified different types of composition within this category, including comedy and tragedy. He regarded comedy as a form of drama because it represented acts that made audiences laugh and he considered tragedy a form of drama because it represented acts that made audiences feel pity or fear. The Roman theorist Horace introduced another view of these poetic forms when he suggested that their purpose was to either delight or instruct. Although various definitions and developments in drama must be considered in addition to Aristotle’s original assessment of dramas, many of the terms of classification he introduced are still used or debated today.这是戏剧最经典的定义。
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