Essay on Violence in Drama

Violence in the drama is often affiliated with the tragedy that puts into perspective, human suffering in addition to terrible impediments (Stanford 36). Violence tends to be among the most prominent themes in the Greek literature. The violence emanates from various causes that include jealousy, love, revenge, and accidents. Most of the tragic events result in death including the death of the protagonists. Also, some characters exposed to violence become victims due to circumstances and not as per the initial intentions (Stanford 36). Possibly, the reason as to why most of the Greek tragic stories are still playing in the modern theaters is the influence of tragedy in stories.

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Some of the tragic dramas in Greek were done to honor the Greek god, Dionysus, who was the god of wine, fertility, and revelry. Among the best classical dramas in the Greek plays is Oedipus Rex by Aristotle (Rose 45). The story involves a family that is cursed who try to get rid of their fate but in vain. Oedipus father orders his execution after receiving a message from an Oracle that Oedipus would kill him and sleep with his mother. Oedipus survives the fate after being rescued by another royal family. Oresteia by Aeschylus is also another Greek drama that involves a family that is cursed. It is a violent trilogy that involves the family of Agamemnon where various deaths take place in regards to vengeance (Hadas 69). Other tragic plays include; Medea by Euripides, Antigone by Sophocles, Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus and Alcestis by Euripides (Garner 56).

The first English drama with violence or tragedy was presented in 1561 by which it exhibited similarities with Seneca. The drama was written by Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton. The plot of the play entailed the sufferings of a British king who was at the mercy of his two sons (Carroll & Wheeler 77). The play is viewed to be significant in the sense that it changed the features of the English drama to involve tragedies instead of mystery and morality during the Elizabethan era. Christopher Marlowe is known for his works that exhibited features that were similar to Greek tragedies. They include; Tamburlaine, The Jew of Malta, Doctor Faustus, and Edward II. The protagonists in all stories are all men of power who become victims as a result of their own doings (Carroll & Wheeler 89). William Shakespeare is known for employing tragedy in most of his plays. A good example is Hamlet where the main character, Hamlet is driven by vengeance as a result of his fathers death. By the time the time the plays ends, several people lose their lives including those not involved in the kings murder. Hamlet results in the deaths of quite a number of people who include Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, and Ophelia. Characters such as Ophelia and Gertrude become victims of circumstances whereby they die because of emotional torture due to her fathers death and accidental poisoning respectively (Carroll & Wheeler 101). Othello is also another tragic drama whereby a man faces frequent discrimination because of his race and later results in the death of his wife and suicide because of the lies presented to him by people he perceived to be friends. The common aspects between Othello and Hamlet are that the lives of the innocent are taken due to the mistakes made by the protagonist. Other examples of tragic plays by Shakespeare include Macbeth, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra and Troilus and Cressida (Parry 105). John Webster is also another playwright known for tragic drama. Most of his works align with the Shakespearean concept of tragedy. Some of his plays include Titus Andronicus, the Duchess of Malfi, and the White Devil. Another famous playwright known for tragic plays is Henrik Ibsen who is also referred to as the main proponent of realism. Some of his works include; a dolls house, the wild Duck, Hedda Gabler, and Emperor and Galilean. Last but not least, another playwright is Arthur Miller who is known for the dramatic plays such as; death of a salesman, all my sons, the crucible, a view from the bridge, and the misfits (Parry 11).

The common aspect among both the English and Greek plays is that violence is projected in terms of murder. The violence is driven by vengeance, spite, hatred, jealousy and superstitions. The difference between violence in Greek drama and English is that the tragedy in Greek is affiliated with religion or rather beliefs while violence in English drama bases on ethical issues and utmost to entertain the audience (Stanford 48). It is perceived that the use of violence in drama especially in the ancient Greek plays have a significant impact in the current world. The tragedy in the dramas illustrates the pretense in man regarding power and certainty. Similarly to the 5TH century BC, the modern day is characterized by tension when it comes to the rhetoric nature of politicians and the harsh environments presented by war. The drama also contains conflict between helplessness and self-control, private and public obligations and between genders in regards to the violence taking place in the world (Stanford 48).

Works Cited

Carroll, David, and Michael Wheeler, eds. The Victorian period: the intellectual and cultural context of English literature, 1830-1890. Routledge, 2014.

Garner, Richard. From Homer to tragedy: the art of allusion in Greek poetry. Vol. 1. Routledge, 2015.

Hadas, Moses. A history of Greek literature. Columbia University Press, 2013.

Parry, Graham. The seventeenth century: the intellectual and cultural context of English literature, 1603-1700. Routledge, 2014.

Rose, Herbert Jennings. A Handbook of Greek Literature (Routledge Revivals): From Homer to the Age of Lucian. Routledge, 2014.

Stanford, William Bedell. Greek Tragedy and the Emotions (Routledge Revivals): An Introductory Study. Routledge, 2014.