Musings on the Confluence of Drama and Society

Abstract

With a ‘transhistorical’ approach and a ‘selective appropriateness’ of playtexts and literature traditions, this article muses on the confluence of society and dramatic expression. Drama, compared to novel writing and poetry, remains, as it has always been, a powerful tool of social critique. From Greek and ancient Chinese and Indian drama forms which meditated with both the heroic and downtrodden, to the contemporary world stage that ponders with highly diverse identities and politically charged world scene, playwrighting still maintains its dialogue with society and its ever-shifting trajectories. The article argues that, in response to a constantly changing human condition, drama can be subversive, counter-discursive, or revolutionary in impulse, as it can be produced as an aesthetic space to explore the convergence of intimate and social life forms, and reconcile division.