A dramatic movement known as “epic theater” emerged in the early to mid-20th century from the beliefs and work of several theater artists, including Vladimir Mayakovsky, Erwin Piscator, Vsevolod Meyerhold, and—most notably—Bertolt Brecht.
Modern Drama
Arms and the Man as an anti-romantic comedy
“Arms and the Man” is a famous play written by George Barnard Shaw that was first performed on April 21, 1984. This play uncovers the falseness of the war and deals with the two-facedness of human nature. It is regarded as an anti-romantic play because through this play Shaw has criticized the dreamlike worship of life. The play is also a comedy because in it Shaw has openly ridiculed the futility of romantic love and the idea of war. We can also call Shaw’s play a didactic play because the aim of the dramatist is to show his readers the reality of love and war.
Waiting for Godot as an absurd play
When Martin Esslin published his book The Theater of Absurd in 1960, only then did the phrase “Theater of Absurd” become popular. The theatre of absurd illustrates an attitude and a frame of mind towards life, where human existence is a conundrum of illogical, senseless, and hopeless activity.
Willy Loman as a tragic hero | Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” is a famous modern tragedy in which Miller portrayed Willy Loman as a tragic hero. Miller has created Willy Loman’s character to display a person disarranged and disorganized in the world of which he was a member.
Death of a Salesman as a modern tragedy | Arthur Miller |
Arthur Miller’s famous drama “Death of a Salesman” is regarded as one of the most impressive pieces of work of art in the 20th century. It examines the psychological turmoil of the hero named Willy, and the competitive and commercialized society’s influence on his life. “Death of a Salesman” is called modern tragedy because it does not obey the concept of Greek tragedy or the traditional concept of tragedy.
The Theatre of Absurd | History | Existentialism vs. Theatre of Absurd | Themes and Characteristics |
The Theatre of Absurd is a specific type of drama penned mainly by European playwrights between the 1940s to 1960s. The primary reason for the origin of the Theatre of Absurd perhaps located in the eruption of World War II.