Discuss the Features of Drama as a Form of Literature Drama is one of the oldest and most popular forms of literature. The word drama comes from the Greek word “dran,” meaning to do or to act . Drama is meant to be performed rather than just read. It presents human life and emotions through the actions and dialogues of characters on a stage before an audience. The main features of drama as a form of literature are as follows: 1. Representation of Life through Action Drama shows life in action . It does not describe events like a novel. It presents them through what the characters say and do. It is life seen through performance . 2. Dialogue Dialogue is the most important element of drama. The story develops through the words spoken by the characters. Like novel form, there is no narrator to explain events. The audience understands everything through conversation and interaction among characters. 3. Characters Drama depends on characters. Each character rep...
(e-Content developed by Prof (Dr) N A Jarandikar) Introduction The Rasa Theory is the foundation of Indian literary and aesthetic criticism. It was first explained by Bharata in his famous Sanskrit text, the Nāṭyaśāstra (between 200 BCE and 200 CE). This theory explains how drama, poetry, dance, and other forms of art create an emotional experience for the audience. Meaning of Rasa The word ‘rasa’ literally means juice, flavour, or essence. In art, rasa means the emotional essence or flavour experienced by the audience. Just as food is enjoyed for its taste, literature and drama are enjoyed for their rasa. The actor/poet presents emotions (bhavas), and when the audience emotionally responds to them, rasa is produced. Bhava and Rasa Bharata explains that bhava (emotion shown by the actor) is the cause, and rasa (emotion experienced by the audience) is the effect. For example: On stage when a character weeps, it is termed as ‘bhava’. And after watching this when the audience feels ...
