People who write dramas, also called plays, are known as “playwrights” or “dramatists”. Some popular types of dramas include comedy, tragedy, farce, opera and docudrama. Now, I’d like to tell you some popular types of drama.
Lighter in tone, comedies try to make the audience laugh and usually come to a happy ending. Comedies put unusual characters in special situations, causing them to do and say funny things. Comedies can also be sarcastic (讽刺的) in nature, creating fun at serious topics. There are also several different types of comedies, including romantic comedy, comedy of manners, and tragic comedy—the play in which characters take on tragedy with humor while bringing serious situations to happy endings.
Tragedy is based on darker themes. Generally, tragedies show serious subjects like death, disaster and human suffering in a way that makes the audience think. Hardly enjoying happy endings, characters in tragedies, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, are often troubled by tragic character flaws (缺点) that finally lead to their death.
A farce is a type of drama in which characters overact and present physical humour. Examples of farce include the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and the hit 1980 movie Airplane! Written by David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.
Opera is a type of drama which combines theatre, dialogue, music and dance to tell stories of tragedy or comedy. Since characters express their feelings through singing rather than dialogue, performers must be both skilled actors and singers. The tragedy La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini and the comedy Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi are classic examples of opera.
A docudrama is a relatively new kind of drama. Docudramas talk about historic events or non-fictional situations. More often presented in movies and television than in live theatre, popular examples of docudramas include the movies Apollo 13 and Twelve Years a Slave.
55. What do we know about comedies?
A.They don’t talk about serious topics. | B.They usually don’t have sad endings. |
C.There’re always some arguments in them. | D.There’re four kinds of comedies mentioned. |
56. How would people most probably react when watching plays like
Waiting for Godot?
A.Worried. | B.Cheerful. | C.Upset. | D.Thoughtful. |
57. What are performers required to do in dramas like
La Bohème?
A.To say something funny. | B.To present physical humour. |
C.To be good at acting and singing. | D.To tell stories through dialogue. |
58. Who would most probably love watching docudramas?
A.Girls loving romantic stories. | B.Children loving funny stories. |
C.People interested in true events in history. | D.People interested in fictional situations. |