TOPIC:
Comparison between Drama and Play: Aristotle and Dryden
NAME:
Ami Sojitra
SOURCE:
Literary Theory and Criticism: Western
SUBMITTED
TO: Department
of English(MKBU)
ROLL
NO: 34
ENROLMENT
NO:PG15101034
ARISTOTLE AND
DRYDEN
INTRODUCTION:
Play
is one of old form of literature. In every literature we find play from the ancient
time. We can see that Drama is form of Prose but in ancient time it was only
for royal class people or we can say play was performed to entertain them so it
was totally written in ornamental language and also not its cup of tea to
everyone to understand it .There are some famous critics who has given the
rules that how to write Play and also how to perform it. Aristotle and Plato
are very famous name in every field and also they had given their contribution
in literature.
Dryden is also very
famous critic of English Literature. He is consider as FATHER OF ENGLISH
CRITICISM. According to Dr. Johnson:
“Dryden
may be properly consider as
The
father of English criticism. As the
Writer
who first thought to determined
Upon the
principles and merits of
composition”
Aristotle
and Dryden both have defined Drama and Play as their own perspective and its depends
on us how we look at both view and prefer which is totally depend on readers
only. So now let’s discuss about Drama and Play as described by Aristotle and
Dryden.
ARISTOTLE
AND DRYDEN:
Aristotle
has written about play on his time when there was not theater and even it was
to entertain royal class family so the language of character is ornamental
because he believe as a part of Literature Play have also ornamental language
even dialogues are also in poetry form. So we can say that in ancient time it’s
not cup of tea of lower class people to understand play. Even he has point out
to avoid some scenes on stage like murder, war, death, ghost etc.
William Shakespeare has broken
down most of the rules and give new form of play. The concept of theater(Shakespearean theater was established)which has made the play more and
more interesting so lower class people can also watch and enjoy play. But still
the language is in poetry form.
Ben Johnson has written
dialogues in prose form so it’s become easy for people to understand play or
drama. Dryden also talk about him when he said:
“I
admire Ben Johnson but I love Shakespeare”
Dryden
has written essay, carry the title as OF DRAMATICK POESIE, AN ESSAY. Later on
the title was corrected as English language was corrected and get the proper
way. There is always comparison that modern or old drama which is best? He talk
about every important part of drama.
APPROPRIATENESS
OF RHYME IN DRAMA:
In the restoration period
rhymed or Heroic Couplet was generally used as medium of expression for heroic
tragedy, while the great Elizabethan dramatist has used blank verse for their
plays. Dryden himself used rhyme for his drama ‘AURANGZEB’. However in the
ESSAY he has expressed himself strongly in favor of rhyme through the mouth of
Neander.
As
he described;
· Rhyme is
not be allowed in serious play, though it may allowed in comedies.
· Rhyme is
unnatural in play, for a play is in dialogue, and no man without premeditation
speaks in rhyme.
· Drama is a
‘just’ representation of nature, and rhyme is unnatural, for nobody in nature
express himself in rhyme. It is artificial and the art is too apparent, while
true art consist in hiding art.
· It is said
that rhyme helps the poet to control his fancy. But one who was not the
judgement to control his fancy in blank verse will not be able to control it in
rhyme either. Artistic control is a matter of judgement and not of rhyme or
verse.
Neander’s
defence:
· It is
choice of words and the placing of them-natural words in order that makes the
language natural, whenever it is verse or rhyme that is used.
· Blank
verse is no verse at all. It is simply poetic prose and so fit only for
comedies. Rhymed verse alone, made natural or near to prose, it is suitable for
tragedy. This would satisfy Aristotle’s dictum.
· Rhyme is
an aid to ‘judgement’. Men of ordinary judgement as even the best of poets are,
require some help to write better. Rhyme helps the judgment and thus makes it
easier to control the free fighters of their fancy.
At
the end of the ESSAY, Dryden gives one more reason in favor of rhyme i.e.
rhyme adds to the pleasure of poetry. The primary function of poetry is to give
DELIGHT, and rhyme enable the poet to perform the function well.
FOUR
CRITICS;
· EUGENUS (Charles
Sackville): He favors modern
than ancient. He believe that modern literature is far better than old
literature because in modern literature all the varieties appeared easily.
· CRITIES(sir
Robert Howard): He argues ancient is
better than modern so we can say that he argues in favour of ancient because
ancient is base of modern
· LISINDEUS(sir
Charles Sidley): He was inspired by
French play so he took favour of French Drama he argues French Drama are
superior than English Drama.
· NEANDER(Thought to
represent Dryden): He favors modern Drama but not disparage the ancients.
But they all agrees
that:
‘A play ought to be a just and
lively image
Of human nature, representing its passion
And humors. The changes of fortune to which
It is subject, for the delight
and instruction of
Mankind’
EXAMPLE:
SHAKESPEARE HAS WRITTEN DIFFERENCE AND
TO CONSIDERED THAT ALL IN GOOD LITERATURE. HE HAS CHANGED DEFINITION OF
LITERATURE
The aim of that ESSAY
is to vindicate the honour of our English writer from the censure of those and
who gave more important to French than English. Because the king was highly
inspired by French.
LIVE
IMAGE AND STATUE IMAGE:-
The image of statue
is look beautiful from distance but when we go near there is no life appear
there and such live image always attract us. The image of play and drama
described by Aristotle and Dryden are totally different from each other. Here
we see that they both stand on one side but still opposite to each other.
Aristotle has described the play
and rules of Greek literature but in that time it was reliable for all
literature which inspired from Greek literature. Aristotle said that the
language of the literature should be ornamental and as we all know that in
ancient time literature means poetry and it was written by scholar so the
language was difficult for common people. The play was come in to existence
lately so we can see the dialogues between two people are also in poetry form.
Even he has given some rules like scene of murder, death, violence, three
unities etc. can’t be avoid during stage play even this kind of act is always
described by chorus.
Dryden was in favor of modern
literature because he believe that modern is better than ancient but he never
ignore the contribution of ancient. As we all know that ancient is base of
modern literature. As Mathew Arnold said that:-
A GOOD CRITIC SHOULD NOT BIASED BY HISTORICAL
Dryden describe it
with best metaphor as THE DWARF STANDING ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANT. As he said
that modern literature is like mirror which shows the real face of our time
while ancient is like lamp which always eminent us. It always shows good things
of that time because in ancient literature we find that good and ideal things
were highlighted by writers or poets while in modern literature all kind of
reflection of society is appear in literature.
He said that ancients are like
honey bee because it goes to nature and collect nectar, but the Honey Kumbh is
made up from two things:-
1) Honey which symbolize sweetness and ancient literature is also full of sweetness.
2) wax which gives
light and the work of modern literature is to throw light on such issues of
society because we used to say that literature is nothing but the reflection of
society so it have to include all the realities of time.
Modern
are like spider who sit and read in library and find out mistakes made by
ancients and try to avoid it in their work and also draw attention of people
towards their mistakes.
We can see the beauty on the
concept of beauty but we can see it on concept of ugly. If we think about
beauty than we think widely as black beauty, white beauty that is the way to
look at beauty. He said that it’s depends upon readers that how they look
towards any work though it is ancient or modern.
CONCLUSION:-
Dryden
and Aristotle both of them have talk about play but one has said that what the
drama should be while another has described that what the drama is. T. S. Eliot
comments that:
“At the right moment
Dryden become conscious
Of the necessity of the
native element in
Literature”
Thus
we can say that Dryden established the English fashion of criticizing as
Shakespeare did the English fashion of dramatizing.
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