Drama Unit: Easy Marks for HPSC Literature

The Drama unit is one of the easiest sections to score good marks in HPSC Literature exam.

This unit includes famous plays from writers like Shakespeare (Hamlet), Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire), and Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani (Final Solutions).

HPSC asks 10-mark questions every year, which means we can prepare using simple templates and get guaranteed marks.

In this blog, we will learn easy methods to write perfect answers for drama questions. We will cover all the important plays and give you ready-made formats that you can use in your exam.

Unit 1: Drama Syllabus

S.No.	Author	Play Title
1.	Sophocles	Oedipus Rex
2.	Kalidasa	Abhigyan Shakuntalam
3.	Plautus	The Pot of Gold
4.	Christopher Marlowe	Doctor Faustus
5.	William Shakespeare	Hamlet; Twelfth Night; Henry IV Part I; The Merchant of Venice
6.	John Webster	The Duchess of Malfi
7.	Ben Jonson	Volpone or The Fox
8.	William Congreve	The Way of the World
9.	Richard Brinsley Sheridan	The School for Scandal
10.	George Bernard Shaw	Arms and the Man
11.	John Osborne	Look Back in Anger
12.	Samuel Beckett	Waiting for Godot
13.	Eugene O’Neill	The Iceman Cometh
14.	Arthur Miller	Death of a Salesman
15.	Tennessee Williams	A Streetcar Named Desire
16.	Henrik Ibsen	A Doll’s House
17.	Girish Karnard	Tuglag
18.	Mahesh Dattani	Final Solutions

How to Score Full 10 Marks in Drama Questions – Simple 6-Point Formula

Every 10-mark drama question in HPSC can be answered perfectly using these 6 basic points. Each point gives you guaranteed marks if you write properly:

1. Character Analysis (1.5 mark)
2. Major Themes (1.5 mark)
3. Language and Dialogue (1.5 mark)
4. Historical/Period Context (1.5 mark)
5. Literary Techniques (2 mark)
6. Literary Movement / Connecting to broader age (2 mark)

Let’s explore each of these 6 points one by one and discuss them in detail with suitable examples from the plays mentioned in our HPSC syllabus.

Character Analysis (1 mark)

Template: “[Character name] begins as _______, but through _______ (events), they become _______. Their main flaw is _______, which leads to _______. This shows the theme of _______.”

Classical Drama:

Oedipus (Oedipus Rex – Sophocles)

• Starts as confident king → becomes tragic figure who discovers terrible truth
• Flaw: Pride (hubris) → Strength: Determination to find truth

Abhimanyu (Abhigyan Shakuntalam – Kalidasa)

• Begins as passionate lover → becomes guilt-ridden king → finally achieves redemption through recognition
• Flaw: Forgetfulness/curse → Strength: Capacity for love and remorse

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Elizabethan Drama:

Hamlet (Shakespeare)

• Begins uncertain about revenge → develops into decisive action-taker
• Flaw: Indecision/overthinking → Strength: Intelligence and moral sensitivity

Dr. Faustus (Marlowe)

• Starts as brilliant scholar seeking knowledge → becomes desperate soul facing damnation
• Flaw: Excessive ambition → Strength: Brilliant intellect

Portia (The Merchant of Venice – Shakespeare)

• Begins as constrained heiress → becomes active problem-solver disguised as lawyer
• Flaw: None major → Strength: Intelligence, wit, and justice-seeking

The Duchess (The Duchess of Malfi – Webster)

• Starts as independent widow → becomes tragic victim of brothers’ tyranny
• Flaw: Defying social conventions → Strength: Courage and dignity

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Restoration Drama:

Volpone (Ben Jonson)

• Begins as clever trickster → becomes trapped victim of his own schemes
• Flaw: Greed and deception → Strength: Cunning intelligence

Mirabell (The Way of the World – Congreve)

• Starts as typical rakish gentleman → develops into sincere lover willing to reform
• Flaw: Past libertine behavior → Strength: Genuine love and wit

Joseph Surface (The School for Scandal – Sheridan)

• Begins as seemingly virtuous gentleman → exposed as hypocritical villain
• Flaw: Hypocrisy and selfishness → Strength: Superficial charm (which becomes weakness)

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Modern Drama:

John Osborne’s Jimmy Porter (Look Back in Anger)

• Starts as angry young man railing against society → remains largely unchanged, representing post-war disillusionment
• Flaw: Destructive anger → Strength: Passionate idealism

Vladimir & Estragon (Waiting for Godot – Beckett)

• Begin waiting hopefully → end still waiting, representing human condition of endless hope
• Flaw: Passivity → Strength: Companionship and endurance

Mary Tyrone (Long Day’s Journey Into Night – O’Neill)

• Starts trying to maintain family facade → retreats into morphine addiction and past memories
• Flaw: Inability to face reality → Strength: Former beauty and maternal love

Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman – Miller)

• Dreams of success → realizes his delusions have destroyed his family
• Flaw: Self-deception about American Dream → Strength: Love for his sons

Blanche DuBois (A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams)

• Begins as faded Southern belle seeking refuge → ends in complete mental breakdown
• Flaw: Living in illusions → Strength: Sensitivity and refinement

Nora (A Doll’s House – Ibsen)

• Starts as childlike wife → becomes independent woman who leaves family
• Flaw: Initial naivety → Strength: Growth into self-awareness

Amanda Wingfield (The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams)

• Begins living in past glory → remains trapped in memories while family disintegrates
• Flaw: Inability to accept present reality → Strength: Determination to help her children

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Contemporary Drama:

Tuglaq (Girish Karnad)

• Starts as idealistic ruler with grand plans → becomes isolated, failed king
• Flaw: Impractical idealism → Strength: Vision for social reform

Daksha (Final Solutions – Mahesh Dattani)

• Begins as prejudiced traditional woman → gradually confronts her biases during communal riots
• Flaw: Religious prejudice → Strength: Capacity for self-reflection

Examples:

• “The main theme of Hamlet is revenge and justice. This is shown when Hamlet struggles to avenge his father’s murder. Shakespeare wants us to understand that revenge can destroy both the avenger and the innocent.”
• “The main theme of Death of a Salesman is the failure of the American Dream. This is shown when Willy Loman’s pursuit of success destroys his family. Miller wants us to understand that material success doesn’t guarantee happiness.”

Classical Drama:

• Oedipus Rex: “I will bring dark things to the light” (Ironic dialogue)
• Abhigyan Shakuntalam: Nature imagery – comparing Shakuntala to delicate flowers

Elizabethan Drama:

• Hamlet: “To be or not to be, that is the question” (Blank verse/Soliloquy)
• Dr. Faustus: “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?” (Mighty line)
• Merchant of Venice: “The quality of mercy is not strained” (Poetic speech)
• Duchess of Malfi: “I am Duchess of Malfi still” (Dignified defiance)

Restoration Drama:

• Volpone: Beast imagery – characters called fox, crow, vulture
• Way of the World: “I nauseate walking; ’tis a country diversion” (Witty dialogue)
• School for Scandal: Character names – Surface, Backbite, Candour (Satirical naming)

Modern Drama:

• Look Back in Anger: Jimmy’s angry tirades against the establishment
• Waiting for Godot: “Let’s go.” “We can’t.” “Why not?” “We’re waiting for Godot.” (Repetitive dialogue)
• Long Day’s Journey: “The past is the present, isn’t it?” (Cyclical dialogue)
• Death of a Salesman: “Attention must be paid” (American colloquial)
• Streetcar Named Desire: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” (Poetic realism)
• Doll’s House: Nora’s final scene – mature, assertive language vs. earlier childlike speech

Contemporary Drama:

• Tuglaq: Political rhetoric mixed with historical language
• Final Solutions: Code-switching between English and local languages

Historical/Period Context means connecting the play to the time when it was written and what was happening in society then.

For example, Shakespeare’s Hamlet was written during the Elizabethan period when people believed in ghosts and revenge was common, so the ghost of Hamlet’s father and the revenge plot made perfect sense to audiences then.

Similarly, Death of a Salesman was written after World War II when Americans were chasing the “American Dream” of success and wealth, which is exactly what Willy Loman is doing in the play.

Waiting for Godot was written after two world wars when people felt lost and hopeless, explaining why the characters wait endlessly for someone who never comes.

What are Literary Techniques?

Literary techniques are special methods writers use to make their plays more effective, interesting, and meaningful.

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Literary Techniques by Writers:

Classical Drama:

Sophocles (Oedipus Rex):

• Dramatic Irony – Audience knows Oedipus is the murderer, but he doesn’t
• Chorus – Group that comments on the action
• Peripeteia – Sudden reversal of fortune
• Anagnorisis – Moment of recognition/discovery

Kalidasa (Abhigyan Shakuntalam):

• Symbolism – Ring symbolizes love and memory
• Foreshadowing – Signs that predict future events
• Flashback – Showing past events
• Nature imagery – Using nature to reflect emotions

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Elizabethan Drama:

William Shakespeare (Hamlet, Merchant of Venice):

• Soliloquy – Character speaks thoughts aloud to audience
• Aside – Character speaks to audience, others can’t hear
• Dramatic irony – Audience knows more than characters
• Metaphor – Direct comparison (“Life is a stage”)
• Comic relief – Funny scenes in serious plays
• Foil characters – Contrasting characters to highlight differences

Christopher Marlowe (Doctor Faustus):

• Morality play elements – Good vs Evil characters
• Chorus – Narrator who introduces scenes
• Soliloquy – Faustus’s internal debates
• Symbolism – Blood, books represent knowledge and damnation

John Webster (Duchess of Malfi):

• Gothic imagery – Dark, scary descriptions
• Symbolism – Wedding ring, apricots have hidden meanings
• Dramatic irony – Characters don’t know they’re being watched
• Echo scenes – Voices from past haunt present

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Restoration Drama:

Ben Jonson (Volpone):

• Allegory – Characters represent abstract ideas (greed, deception)
• Beast fable – Characters named after animals
• Satire – Making fun of society’s problems
• Irony – The deceiver gets deceived

William Congreve (Way of the World):

• Wit and wordplay – Clever use of words with double meanings
• Satirical names – Names reveal character traits
• Comic misunderstandings – Characters misinterpret situations
• Social satire – Criticizing high society behavior

Richard Sheridan (School for Scandal):

• Satirical character names – Surface, Backbite, Candour
• Screen scene – Physical comedy with hiding behind screen
• Dramatic irony – Audience knows who’s behind the screen
• Social satire – Making fun of gossip and hypocrisy

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Modern Drama:

John Osborne (Look Back in Anger):

• Realistic dialogue – Natural, everyday speech
• Monologues – Long speeches expressing anger
• Symbolism – Ironing board represents domestic life
• Social realism – Showing real working-class problems

Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot):

• Absurdist techniques – Meaningless repetition and circular dialogue
• Minimalist setting – Simple stage with just a tree
• Repetitive structure – Same actions repeated in both acts
• Symbolism – Tree, hat, boots represent human condition

Eugene O’Neill (Long Day’s Journey Into Night):

• Expressionism – Showing inner emotions through external action
• Stream of consciousness – Characters’ thoughts flow naturally
• Symbolism – Fog represents confusion and hiding from truth
• Realistic family dialogue – Natural family conversations and conflicts

Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman):

• Flashbacks – Past events shown in present
• Stream of consciousness – Willy’s confused thoughts
• Symbolism – Seeds represent hope, stockings represent betrayal
• Expressionistic staging – Memory scenes blend with reality

Tennessee Williams (Streetcar Named Desire):

• Symbolism – Light represents truth, darkness represents illusion
• Realistic dialogue – Natural Southern American speech
• Expressionistic elements – Music and lighting show character emotions
• Foil characters – Blanche vs Stella show different responses to life

Henrik Ibsen (Doll’s House):

• Symbolism – Doll house represents Nora’s trapped life
• Realistic dialogue – Natural family conversation
• Dramatic structure – Well-made play with clear beginning, middle, end
• Social problem play – Addressing women’s rights issues

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Contemporary Drama:

Girish Karnad (Tuglaq):

• Historical allegory – Past events comment on present politics
• Multiple time periods – Past and present connected
• Irony – Gap between intentions and results
• Symbolism – Crown represents burden of power

Mahesh Dattani (Final Solutions):

• Realistic dialogue – Contemporary Indian family speech
• Flashbacks – Past events explain present conflicts
• Symbolism – Meals represent community and division
• Social realism – Addressing communal harmony issues

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Most Common Techniques (Easy to Remember):

1. Symbolism – Objects with deeper meaning
2. Irony – Opposite of what’s expected
3. Soliloquy – Character speaks thoughts aloud
4. Flashback – Showing past events
5. Foreshadowing – Hints about future events

What This Means:

Connect the play to the bigger literary movement or historical period it belongs to. Show how the play represents the ideas, values, and concerns of that entire age.

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Literary Movements by Writers:

Classical Period (Ancient Greece/India):

Sophocles (Oedipus Rex):

• Movement: Classical Greek Drama (5th century BC)
• Age characteristics: Belief in fate, gods control human destiny, tragic heroes with fatal flaws
• Connection: Oedipus represents the Greek idea that humans cannot escape their destiny

Kalidasa (Abhigyan Shakuntalam):

• Movement: Sanskrit Classical Literature (4th-5th century AD)
• Age characteristics: Harmony between humans and nature, divine intervention, idealized love
• Connection: Play shows perfect balance between earthly love and divine will

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Renaissance Period (16th-17th Century):

William Shakespeare (Hamlet, Merchant of Venice):

• Movement: Elizabethan Renaissance Drama
• Age characteristics: Humanism, individual psychology, questioning authority, new world exploration
• Connection: Hamlet’s introspection represents Renaissance focus on individual consciousness

Christopher Marlowe (Doctor Faustus):

• Movement: Renaissance Drama
• Age characteristics: Scientific revolution, questioning religious authority, desire for knowledge
• Connection: Faustus embodies Renaissance thirst for unlimited knowledge and power

John Webster (Duchess of Malfi):

• Movement: Jacobean Tragedy
• Age characteristics: Dark worldview, corruption in society, violence and revenge
• Connection: Reflects the pessimism and moral decay of early 17th century England

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Restoration Period (Late 17th Century):

Ben Jonson (Volpone):

• Movement: Restoration Comedy/Satire
• Age characteristics: Moral corruption, obsession with money, social climbing
• Connection: Satirizes the greed and materialism of emerging capitalist society

William Congreve (Way of the World):

• Movement: Restoration Comedy of Manners
• Age characteristics: Artificial social behavior, wit valued over morality, sexual freedom
• Connection: Shows the sophisticated but morally empty lifestyle of aristocratic society

Richard Sheridan (School for Scandal):

• Movement: 18th Century Comedy of Manners
• Age characteristics: Social hypocrisy, gossip culture, appearance vs reality
• Connection: Criticizes the scandal-mongering and false virtue of high society

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Modern Period (20th Century):

John Osborne (Look Back in Anger):

• Movement: Angry Young Men Movement (1950s Britain)
• Age characteristics: Post-war disillusionment, class conflict, rejection of traditional values
• Connection: Jimmy Porter represents the frustration of educated working-class youth

Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot):

• Movement: Theatre of the Absurd (Post-World War II)
• Age characteristics: Meaninglessness of existence, breakdown of communication, existential crisis
• Connection: Reflects the hopelessness and confusion after two devastating world wars

Eugene O’Neill (Long Day’s Journey Into Night):

• Movement: American Realism/Expressionism
• Age characteristics: Psychological analysis, family dysfunction, American Dream critique
• Connection: Shows the dark side of American middle-class family life

Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman):

• Movement: American Social Realism (Post-WWII)
• Age characteristics: Critique of capitalism, failure of American Dream, suburban alienation
• Connection: Willy Loman represents the common man crushed by capitalist society

Tennessee Williams (Streetcar Named Desire):

• Movement: American Southern Gothic/Psychological Realism
• Age characteristics: Decline of old South, psychological complexity, sexual liberation
• Connection: Shows clash between old Southern gentility and modern brutal reality

Henrik Ibsen (Doll’s House):

• Movement: Modern Realism/Social Problem Play
• Age characteristics: Women’s rights movement, questioning social institutions, individual freedom
• Connection: Nora’s liberation represents the emerging feminist consciousness of late 19th century

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Contemporary Period (Late 20th Century):

Girish Karnad (Tuglaq):

• Movement: Indian English Drama/Post-Colonial Literature
• Age characteristics: Post-independence disillusionment, questioning of idealistic leaders
• Connection: Tuglaq represents the failure of post-independence Indian political idealism

Mahesh Dattani (Final Solutions):

• Movement: Contemporary Indian Theatre
• Age characteristics: Communal tensions, urban middle-class concerns, religious conflicts
• Connection: Addresses ongoing Hindu-Muslim tensions in modern urban India

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Examples:

• “Hamlet belongs to Renaissance drama which was characterized by humanism and individual psychology. The play reflects this age through Hamlet’s deep introspection and questioning of traditional authority.”
• “Death of a Salesman belongs to Post-WWII American Realism which was characterized by criticism of capitalism and the American Dream. The play reflects this age through Willy’s failure to achieve success despite hard work.”