All SUBGENERS of the DRAMA genre: older and younger [SUMMARY !!]

In the classification of literary genres we find three great names: the narrative, the lyric and the drama genre (or theater). But, in addition to these three great groups, each of the great genres are divided into other subtypes that are known as subgenera. To better understand the different types of dramatic texts that exist, in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover what are the subgenres of the dramatic genre that are studied within the literature. We started!

Index

1. Theatrical subgenres: complete list
2. Major subgenres of the dramatic genre
3. Minor dramatic subgenres

We begin this lesson on the subgenres of the drama genre by offering you a summary list that will help you to quickly know how the classification is made within the drama.

Thus, the subgenres of the dramatic genre are divided as follows:

Major subgenera

They are the most classic theater subgenres and include:

• Tragedy. This type of theater focuses on presenting the great conflicts that human beings have from a tragic and passionate point of view. The protagonists are usually gods of mythology, kings or heroes who embody vices and virtues of society and who are tragically marked by their destiny.
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• Comedy. This sub-genre features more mundane plots that have a humorous and fun twist. The characters are easily recognizable in society and usually embody a social type, therefore, they represent archetypes. The objective is to make people laugh, but with a critical background on society or the forms of government.

And, later, the Greeks added the drama or tragicomedy, another of the most important subgenres of the dramatic genre and that shares elements of comedy and tragedy but with some differences; the most important is that the character is not a mythological being but rather ordinary people. The outcome of the drama, although it tends to be tragic, is not always so.

Minor theatrical subgenres

They are the theatrical texts that have the shortest duration and that have very specific characteristics. The most common are:

• The farce
• The appetizer or step
• The auto sacramental
• Zarzuela
• The grotesque
• Melodrama
• The opera
• Etc.

We are going to analyze in detail the subgenres of the dramatic genre that we have just indicated so that, in this way, you can better know their characteristics and their idiosyncrasies.

We will start by talking about the major subgenera of the theater. To do this, we will travel to origin of the dramatic genre and we will find the three great types of theatrical texts that are the basis of the genre: tragedy, comedy and drama.

These subgenres are known as major because they were works that used to have a long duration and therefore your argument was deeper, more complex and more intense. Here we will analyze each of them in detail.

The tragedy

The tragedy is a subgenus characterized by presenting very intense plots, that speak about the nature of the human being and that usually have a sad ending and quite bleak. The most prominent elements of the tragedy are:

• Low, deep and reflective tone
• Characters who must fight against doom and the imposition of destiny
• The gods and mythological beings have a strong importance
• Man faces against nature or against superior beings
• The end is always grave and fatalistic
• They hide a background of social reflection and human behavior
• Topics deal with important life issues like love, respect, jealousy, death, etc.

The comedy

Comedy is another theatrical subgenre that is part of the "majors". Unlike tragedy, this type of text is characterized by a much lighter tone, in which laughter and funny situations they play a very important role. Here are some characteristics of comedy:

• The tone of the comedy is fun and upbeat
• The theme is much lighter and everyday. They usually deal with social issues to make the public reflect from a fun and friendly point of view
• Characters are worldly people who are part of society
• Tangle situations are included that emphasize the humorous touch of the plot
• They usually have a happy ending
• The characters embody a human defect or vice and, with the play, they ridicule and show themselves with a humorous tone. They are archetypal characters

Drama or tragicomedy

It is another of the most important subgenres of the dramatic genre and, as its name suggests, it shares elements with tragedy and comedy. The drama is also known as tragicomedy and appeared in Ancient Greece, although the subgenus was revived in Spain thanks to La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas when we have the information.

The most important characteristics of this subgenre of theater are:

• Mix tragedy and comedy
• Sarcasm is one of the main elements of this type of work
• Realistic and recognizable characters in society
• The themes these works deal with are universal and important themes such as justice, honor, etc.
• Strong ending that can be positive or negative
• The subgenre closest to the reality of the viewer and, therefore, it achieved enormous success

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In addition to the above, you should know that there are also minor subgenres of the dramatic genre, that is, those that have shorter duration and that, for this reason, its plots and its characters are inferior to those mentioned in the previous section.

The minor subgenera are those shorter and less intense works, with more concrete conflicts and with a more limited number of characters and narrative plots and subplots. There are many theatrical subgenres that can be included in this category, however the classics are as follows.

Appetizer or step

An appetizer is also known as a passage and refers to a short play (5 to 15 minutes) that was performed between acts of a larger piece. The Cervantes hors d'oeuvres They are the best known in Spanish literature, but there were many authors who wrote this type of literary text. The most prominent features are:

• Comic characters
• The characters belonged to the popular classes and were very recognizable (the priest, the mayor, the rich man, etc.)
• They were represented between the acts of the comedy plays

Sainete

These short works are very similar to the hors d'oeuvre, but with the main difference that they were usually accompanied by music and dance. They were not part of the between acts of the works, but were presented independently. The characteristics of the sainetes are:

• Humorous and comic tone
• They were texts that were accompanied by music and dances
• The argument hides a social criticism that is presented with sarcasm and irony
• They were presented independently
• The characters were from popular classes and represented archetypes that were very easy to recognize.

Auto sacramental

We continue to know the different dramatic subgenres to speak, now, of these theatrical pieces that had a background religious and allegorical. The objective of these texts was spread the christian word through representations of biblical scenes. The characteristics of these theatrical works are:

• Allegorical character
• Religious theme
• Scenes or concepts from the Bible are represented
• The aim was to exalt religion and spread its knowledge
• Currently, this genre is hardly used in contemporary theater

Opera and zarzuela

It is a theatrical subgenre in which the literary text with classical music. In fact, the name of "Opera"means" musical work ", so we are faced with a hybrid genre of the two types of art. The most outstanding characteristics of the opera are:

• The plot explains a story that can be tragic or comic that is accompanied by music at all times
• The actors are also opera singers
• They have a very striking staging that accompanies the work
• It usually incorporates a live orchestra with musicians who interpret the songs

In Spain we have a special and own subgenre that draws from the influence of opera: the Operetta.

Melodrama

The melodrama It is also a dramatic subgenre that appeared in the eighteenth century and that, today, has great importance. It is a type of literary text that combines music and history and that usually contains comic and tragic elements at the same time (that is why it is considered as a drama + melody = melodrama). The main features are:

• Mix the plot with the music
• The sentimental component is very excited because it wants to excite the public
• It usually has a happy and relaxed ending
• Situations of entanglement that endanger the well-being of the protagonist abound
• Music has an emotional function: it appears at the right moments to generate that climate of tension and emotion

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If you want to read more articles similar to Dramatic genre: subgenres, we recommend that you enter our category of Literary concepts.

• You went up, J. L. G., & Galván, I. AND. T. (2010). Dramatic subgenres and formal structure in the theatrical works of Spanish romanticism. In New paths of Hispanism...: proceedings of the XVI Congress of the International Association of Hispanists. Paris, July 9-13, 2007 (p. 165). Ibero-American.
• González-Barrera, J. (2006). The influence of the Greek novel in the theater of Lope de Vega: paradigms for the configuration of a new dramatic subgenre. Lope de Vega Yearbook, (12), 141-152.
• Kyd, T., & Glantz, M. (1976). The Spanish tragedy. National Autonomous University of Mexico.