Four Types of Plays

Drama is the branch of literature and as a piece or unit of poetry is called a poem, similarly when we choose a single unit of drama, it s known as play. The development of drama is in logic order, in cycles and it originates from four types of plays. First liturgical plays introduced, so called from their being an extension of the liturgy or church service.

Mystery Plays

Mystery plays were evolved out of liturgical drama. Mystery plays were based on the Bible and were particularly concerned with the stories of man’s creation, fall and redemption. In mystery plays the Biblical stories were beaten a lot, the actors were the priests themselves and it had been held under the complete control of the church. They did not know that what the drama, plot and events are; they would have to perform only.

• The method of mystery plays

Some 12 person would go on the stage out of those 12 persons one was being chosen as the representative of the others. They would sing a choric hymn (A song in praise of a God or hero) with mime (A form of drama in which actors tell a story by gestures) which his called ‘Dithyramb’. It was a goat song in which sacrifice of a goat was being given to please God Dionysus.      

The ideas, ideologies, problems, necessities, beliefs of the Greeks were common and same. The y could not afford the luxuries or the pleasures of life and they were serious in their real life, therefore, in the beginning all the writers created the tragic stories. First English tragedy was ‘Gorboduc’ which was written by the Chancelor ‘Sackville’ and a lawyer ‘Norton’; that was the story of struggle, to get the place of king; by a father and two sons; sons were Ferrex and Porrex, they killed their father and they were killed by the mother.     

Miracle Plays

There is little difference between Mystery plays and Miracle plays. Mystery plays were based on Biblical episodes and Miracle plays were based on the lives of holy people and legends of saints. In those early plays action was in little and those were based on narration. Blank verse was used (Unrhymed Iambic Pentameter).

Thespis was the first person who introduced 13^th man as a fulfilled actor and he himself acted on the stage with the permission of God. Although the song was sung by 12 people, there were also the feelings, expressions of others, therefore, they thought that the duration of the song must be increased and some other addition should be made in the praise of God of agriculture.

Morality Plays

Morality plays were allegory representation of vice and virtue. These were of seriocomic type. The character of vice in these plays later on developed to the character of villain. The dramatic origins of morality plays are to be found in the Mystery and Miracle plays of the later middle ages.

Human nature is not always in serious mood; therefore, they felt the comic character or the amusement. The writer ‘Phrynicos’ introduced little bit change element. In essence, a morality play was a dramatization of t he battle between the forces of good and evil in the human soul; thus, an exteriozation of the inward spiritual struggle.

Interludes Plays

Interlude was a short dramatic piece. It was satiristic nature, not basically ethical in nature, laughter was produced in interludes. ‘Aristophanes’ introduced comic element.  Aeschylus produces the 14^th character in the group and he himself acted as the 14^th character. The social problems were introduced through Interludes and comedy was also developed from Interludes. Interludes can be called as the modified form of Morality plays. Interludes were produced in the 16^th.C. and this form is closely associated with the name of John Heywood.