The Influence of Genre on Five Plays’ Approaches to Social Issues Essay

The Influence of Genre on Five Plays Approaches to Social Issues What could a naturalistic problem play, a tragedy, a historical drama, a comedy, and a piece of epic alienation theatre have in common? Works of drama are created to have some figure of effect on an audience, and succession the effects each of these plays are markedly different, each play attempts to lead an audience to think or feel a certain way towards a social problem. A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, Oedipus The King by Sophocles, Walsh by Sharon Pollock, Edible Woman by Dave Carley (adapted from the novel by Margaret Atwood), and The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht are plays which contain characters involved in dramatizing social problems. By examining the relationships between the characters and their dramatic audiences, we gain insights into the genres of the plays.As in many naturalistic plays, the characters in A Dolls House are round and worthy of analysis. A characteristic of naturalism is that, while constrained by a material environment which might be difficult to change, characters still have the possibility of overcoming their condition (Bloomsbury 1). Through her actions, the character Christine shows to the audience that they too can overcome their conditions, by following her example. The particular social problem that Christine illuminates is the problem of acquiring human understanding. Through Christines character Ibsen gives evidence to suggest that achieving deeper understandings of the world outside the dolls house is possible. In confiding to Krogstad, I have learnt to act prudently. Life, and hard, bitter necessity have taught me that, Christine is indicating to the audience that knowledge... ...h approach social problems varies along with their genres. In todays world, in which social problem are ever so urgent, plays such as these are intelligibly becoming increasingly relevant. Works Cited Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. Rpt. The I nternet Classics Archive (1994). 19 Nov 2001 .Brecht, Bertolt. Brecht on Theatre. Ed. and trans. John Willett. New York Hill and Wang, 1992.Brecht, Bertolt.The Good Woman of Setzuan. Trans. Eric Bentley. MN University of Minnesota Press, 1947.Ibsen, Henrik. quad Great Plays by Henrik Ibsen. Bantam Classic edition. New York, NY Bantam Books, 1981.Pollock, Sharon. Walsh. Revised edition. Burnaby, BC Talonbooks, 1998.Simpson, David L. Comedy and Tragedy (1998). 18 Nov 2001 .