dramatic story essay example

Essays About Drama: Top 5 Examples and 5 Prompts

The word drama covers many meanings and subjects; if you are writing essays about drama, discover our guide with interesting essay examples and writing prompts featured here.

What is drama to you? Many know it as a situation or event in which emotions run high. For others, the grand, intricate stage plays of Shakespeare and others of his time come to mind. Regardless, these and all other definitions of drama share one thing in common: emotion.

In all its forms, from theatre to television to cinema to even day-to-day interaction, drama is always centered around emotion, tension, and conflict- things we experience daily. Drama is, quite literally, our life, complete with all its imperfections, troubles, twists, and turns.

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1. The History of Drama by Homer Stewart

2. why the news is not the truth by peter vanderwicken, 3. drama reflection essay (author unknown), 4. kitchen sink dramas by rodolfo chandler, 5. love yourself, not your drama by crystal jackson, 6. shakespeare’s theater: an essay from the folger shakespeare editions by barbara mowat and paul werstine, 1. what is drama, 2. types of drama, 3. the history of drama, 4. is the world over-dramatized today, 5. a dramatic incident of the past.

“Perhaps the most theatrical form of drama was opera which is still popular in today’s society. Broadway is certainly a sight that attracts thousands of people annually. In addition, the playwrights of today are striving to make the theatrical experience meaningful to the lives of viewers so that it is not just simply “pleasant entertainment”. Many themes that drama plays in modern times focus on are social problems, tragedies involving the elements of love and hate and as well as social problems that affect the inhabitants of today.”

Stewart gives readers a brief history of drama and its subjects. In different eras, the plays were based around themes and ideas prevalent in those times; for example, the Romantic Period focused on the “experiences of ordinary people.” He also references several playwrights, including Friedrich von Schiller and Percy Bysshe Shelley. In modern times, drama is centered around critical social issues while still managing to be engaging and entertaining.

“Pulitzer turned them into stories with a sharp dramatic focus that both implied and aroused intense public interest. Most newspapers of the time looked like the front page of the Wall Street Journal still does. Pulitzer made stories dramatic by adding blaring headlines, big pictures, and eye-catching graphics. His journalism took events out of their dry, institutional contexts and made them emotional rather than rational, immediate rather than considered, and sensational rather than informative.”

Vanderwicken criticizes the state of news today, saying that many stories are dramatized and outright fabricated to make them more entertaining. He attributes this to Joseph Pulitzer of Pulitzer Prize fame, who introduced He also gives historical examples of instances where the media has exaggerated – news today is too dramatic, and it must change.

You might also be interested in these essays about Macbeth .

“I felt that this learning experience is a very huge step because it takes us from doing a play which is very immature in to something that is big and has maturity in it. It helps me to practice in fluency, public speaking and mostly self-confidence. In the play I developed my ways of acting and how to put emotions in to the character, in which those emotions were not really me.”

This essay describes lessons one can learn from performing drama, such as confidence and speaking fluently. The author also reflects on an experience performing in drama, where the author learned to be more expressive, speak better, and become more hardworking. There is also a brief discussion on the elements of drama, including plot and setting. Drama is important and can teach you essential skills and lessons.

“In the late 1950s in Britain, the “Kitchen Sink movement”, which is also known as “Kitchen Sink realism” occurred. This cultural movement stemed from ideas about working class activities. A typical writer of kitchen sink dramas is John Osborne, for example his drama “Look back in anger” which aroused many strong opinions when it was first performed as a drama. It is set in a small flat in the west midlands, which is typical of working class people.”

Chandler describes a period in drama where “kitchen sink dramas” depicted working-class stories. He uses John Osborne’s “Look Back in Anger” as an example, briefly describing the play. Jimmy, one of the characters, was known as an “angry young man,” This term was later used to describe young people critical of the social and political state of the world.

“We learn to recognize co-dependence, narcissism, and toxicity for what they are rather than making excuses because we liked the look of someone. In other words, we grow up. We stay in love with our own toxic patterns and keep the cycle of damage going, or we recognize the collateral damage of all our drama and start wanting better for ourselves. We make choices. We experience consequences. If we grow up, we’ll even connect the two.”

Jackson’s essay discusses drama from another perspective, the drama that comes with love life. She gives readers tips on how to care for yourself better and look past all the tension, confusion, and drama that comes with dating. If we look at potential partners from a deeper, more constructive point of view, we can avoid toxic relationships and have a healthy love life.

“When performance required that an actor appear “above,” as when Juliet is imagined to stand at the window of her chamber in the famous and misnamed “balcony scene,” then the actor probably climbed the stairs to the gallery over the back of the stage and temporarily shared it with some of the spectators. The stage was also provided with ropes and winches so that actors could descend from, and reascend to, the “heavens.””

In their essay, Mowat and Werstine discuss the conventions of performing Shakespearean drama during his time, including the performance of some scenes in different areas of the theater and men playing women’s roles. They also discuss how the theaters they performed in, such as the Globe Theatre, enhanced the plays’ dramatic effect.

5 Prompts for Essays About Drama

The word drama has many meanings and is used differently, as seen in the essay examples above. In your essay, give the word’s etymology, explain the different sides of drama, from theatre to school life, and give examples of how they exemplify the meaning. Explain how they are all connected as well.

Drama in the context of theatre has four primary forms: comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, and melodrama. Discuss each type of drama and elaborate on its characteristics. If you wish, compare and contrast them as well. Be sure to give examples of plays when explaining them.

In your essay, you can also discuss the different periods in the history of drama. Explain what occurred in these periods, how drama changed, and their effects on modern drama. You need not explore too many periods; just make sure you write about key developments and explain them adequately.

In the world today, the resilience of survivors is glorified and dramatized, while we see media outlets making headlines out of mere gossip and celebrity news. From this, it can be argued that society is centered around making a drama out of nothing. Why is this the case? Discuss your opinion on this issue- feel free to research if you need inspiration.

Look back to a past event marked by tension, emotion, and drama. Narrate the events and explain how they made you feel- did you learn anything from them? This can be either your own experience or just an event from history or the news. You can read this essay for further inspiration.

Note: drama can mean different things to different people, so what you consider “dramatic” is up to you.For help picking your next essay topic, check out our top essay topics about love .

Dramatic Literature Essay Examples and Topics

Doctor faustus as a tragic hero essay.

Words: 1468

Misery – Anton Chekhov. Analysis of Summary and Themes

The couter by salman rushdie, the relationship between eliezer and his father essay, guy de maupassant: “the necklace” essay, “the importance of being earnest” by oscar wilde: critical analysis, dorian gray and his downfall.

Words: 2227

Is Beowulf an Ideal Hero and King? The Ideal in “Beowulf”

Words: 1512

Defamiliarization in Literature: Examples

Character sketch of laura in “the glass menagerie” by tennessee williams, zora neale hurston & langston hughes: the dispute that ruined their relationship, deception role in “the odyssey” by homer.

Words: 1255

Tragic Hero in Aristotle’s “Poetics”

Words: 1711

Iago the Gardener`s Behavior in “Othello” by Shakespeare

Words: 1372

Symbolic Imagery and Theme of Morality in The Tale of Kieu.

The peculiarities of discussing the theme of death in poetry and prose.

Words: 1674

“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver

Tragedy and comedy as literary forms, leo tolstoy’s “the death of ivan ilyich”: characters analysis, william faulkner’s barn burning: sarty’s grown.

Words: 1138

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Character of mathilde loisel in maupassant’s “the necklace”.

Words: 1155

Villains in Shakespeare’s “King Lear”

Parable of the sower.

Words: 1355

Shakespeare’s Use of Multiple Plot Lines in Much Ado About Nothing

Words: 1216

“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller Literary Analysis

Dante alighieri and the divine comedy.

Words: 2845

A Review of Eating Chinese: Culture on the Menu in Small Town Canada by Lily, Cho

The tragedy of othello by william shakespeare: bianca’s innocence, expressive writing dramatic effect of the story, “victims” in the novel “the setting sun”, three daughters of china-wild swans, anton chekhov literary works.

Words: 2596

Literary Analysis of Prospero from Shakespeare’s The Tempest

Tragic dramatic literature, “taming of the shrew” by william shakespeare.

Words: 2165

Maupassant’s Short Story Comparison

Moral principles in harper lee’s novel to kill a mockingbird, othello’s ruinous credulity in shakespeare’s tragedy, shakespeare’s tragedy hamlet review, shakespeare’s relevance nowadays, greek tragedy “the bacchae” by euripides, jurors 1 and 5 in “twelve angry men” by reginald, sociology of drama. mrs. warren’s profession and the good woman of setzuan.

Words: 5751

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”: A Birdcage as a Symbol

“a doll’s house” by henrik ibsen.

Words: 1789

“Death of a Salesman” by A. Miller and “The Glass Menagerie” by T. Williams: Elements of Drama Action

Hamlet: analyzing various scenes.

Words: 1005

Analysis of “The Glass Menagerie” and “The Taming of the Shrew”

Words: 1115

The Impact of Improper Conflict Resolution

Words: 1183

The Use of Symbolic Meaning in “A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner

Yunior’s character in ‘this is how you lose her’ by junot díaz.

Words: 1171

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

Main theme of “death of a salesman” by arthur miller, “death of a salesman” by arthur miller – review, affairs of the heart and deception in womack’s “the good soldier”.

Words: 1959

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by Thurber

Analysis of the gilman’s “yellow wallpaper”, appearance in “othello” and “a raisin in the sun”.

Words: 1302

Brighton Beach Memoirs’ by Simon and ‘Fences’ by Wilson

Williams tennessee’s “a streetcar named desire”, “an enemy of the people” by henrique ibsen, two visions of benjamin button curious case.

Words: 1414

Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Schiller’s The Robbers

Why i live at the p.o. and hills like white elephants, shakespeare’s sonnets: followed the petrarchan ideal, the role of god or goddess in aeschylus’s the oresteia.

Words: 1527

“Refuge Fragile as a Snowflake by John Balzar

Malcolm x’s “ballot or bullet” speech: an analysis, the psychology of murder in literature, the narrative of “night” by elie wiesel.

Words: 1125

“Flowering Judas” by Katherine Anne Porter

Differences in the context: seneca, medea & euripides, medea.

Words: 1402

American Drama and Play Analysis: William Inge and Eugene O’Neill

Faustus tragic figure in goethe’s “faust”.

Words: 1781

Othello: The Shakespeare Story Analysis

Gender equality question: “hamlet” by william shakespeare.

Words: 1333

The Masks of William Shakespeare’s Play “Hamlet”

Words: 1827

The Story “Will the Sun Rise Tomorrow?”

Words: 2861

R. Skloot’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

Absence and loss in “the shawl” and “afterimage”.

Words: 1377

“The Hour of the Star” by Claris Lispector

Arab diaspora in the usa in the work of diana abu-jaber (arabian jazz and crescent), yacoubian building by alaa al-aswany.

Words: 1102

The Eyes That Cannot Lie: What Lurks Behind People’s Faces

The role of young people in stieg larsson’s novel the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Words: 1163

“The Day It Happened” by Rosario Morales and “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry

Attitude analysis and the book “the fantabulous fens”, theme of survival in the painted bird, the death of dolgushov, and slumdog millionaire.

Words: 1643

Written between the Lines: When a Movie Fails to Capture the Subtleties of the Novel

Words: 2171

Describe the ways in which Chekov conveys the transformation in Lady with Dog

Voltaire: “candide” conclusion, the death of ivan ilyich by leo tolstoy, anna karenina by leo tolstoy and improvement in society.

Words: 1912

Watching the Poker Faces of Your Ego: Read Its Lips

A very old man with enormous wings: a tale for children, blazing the trail, avoiding the pitfalls: a long way gone.

Words: 1173

Discuss R.K. Narayan

Justifiable vengeance is la mere savage act of burning four prussian soldiers a first degree murder, through the crystal ball and what you see there: esmeralda santiago, trying to seize the elusive power: ulvi dogan.

Words: 1445

The Story of Picchi

Six characters in search of an author.

Words: 1140

Leadership and Commonality Displayed by Ivo Andric

Words: 1378

When a Woman Turns into a Warrior: Offred, of Women’s Bondage

Joan of arc: a story of a heroic woman. book critique, notions of community and notions of self in the plague and patriotism, arabian women in “zainab” and “duties of a working mother”, the tale of genji.

Words: 1366

Analysis of Purgatorio and Paradiso from The Divine Comedy by Dante

Views in “a dove in santiago: anovella in verse”, things fall apart: collage of ideas and main themes.

Words: 1170

The Turn of the Screw

Words: 1538

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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Literary Genres / Drama

Drama Essay Examples

Exploring the themes of knowledge and time in stoppard's 'arcadia'.

Arcadia, a play written by Tom Stoppard, is overwhelmed with futuristic thoughts and ideas that create intricate conflicts between characters. The leading difficulty is how the audience is forced to attempt to understand them. They have to try to grasp ideas from an array of...

The Analysis of Susan Glaspell's Play "Wastes of Time"

Susan Glaspell's play Wastes of time delineates the connection among married couples, with the dedication and loyalty basically in wedded life. As the play opens we see a presuming scene an untidy kitchen that reflects something fishy how the lady are being pushed in the...

The Theme of Justice in the Oresteia by Aeschylus

Throughout the trilogy, The Oresteia, there is a central theme of justice portrayed by Aeschylus. In each of the three plays, justice stems from the ancient guidelines but soon evolves into a more civil justice defined by Athena, with the intention to stop the people...

Comparsion of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and Its Film Adaptation by Ralph Fiennes

Although Ralph Fiennes’ film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus sticks largely to the facts as reported in the original story, it differs noticeably from Plutarch’s Life of Coriolanus in terms of how the play tends to compress some events in order to increase the dramatization. Furthermore,...

Analysis of the Main Themes in the Play Our Town

Our Town is a play that was first published in 1938, set in the early 1900s in Grover’s Corner, New Hampshire. It is centered around a small town of people who are very old-fashioned and set in their ways, going through life without appreciating it....

A Theme of Gender Equality in Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Marie Shear stated, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” There are no truer words when it comes to the story portrayed in the short drama, Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell. This play emphasizes the gender roles placed onto women and illustrates the...

Analysis of the Character of Volumnia in Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

In Coriolanus, Volumnia is a strong, powerful mother who has raised the seemingly perfect soldier. She is constantly talking of the joys of war and how she hopes to see her son wounded. These wounds and the admiration that comes with them are a place...

The Issue of Patriarchy and Gender Inequality in Trifles

During the 20th century, women’s roles were limited marriage and motherhood, and housewives, which caused domestic dependency which resulted in daily lives being rules by patriarchy since men did not see them as equals. During the years leading up women’s suffrage in the United States,...

The Role of Gender in Trifles by Susan Glaspell

In Susan Glaspell’s short play Trifles, the reader is met with the ongoing case of John Wright’s murder. One moral that the play depicts is that women and men see things differently. According to the male characters, the women only care about issues that have...

Review of the Book the Mystery of Flight 2222 by Thomas Neviaser: the Story of Survival, Hunger and Fear

The Mystery of flight 2222 by Thomas Neviaser is a twisted book full of mystery, drama, and action. This book is very interesting and the story keeps surprising you with twists and turns. It’s a story about survival, hunger and fear. The interesting thing about...

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