History of English Literature

Growth of Modern British Drama.

The drama in England was in a state of serious decline from the end of Goldsmith and Sheridan till 1865. The rise of novel in the Victorian era and its rapidly growing popularity were partly responsible for the lack of the foothold for drama. Though it was a great era for poetry and fiction, the English theatre fared one of the most unrewarding periods.

However, towards the close of the nineteenth century radical changes had already begun to be seen in the plays of such writers as T. W. Robinson, W.B. Gilbert, and Oscar Wilde. Their mild radicalism consisted in moving towards realism and taking up social issues.

It was from the continent that England got the fire required for the revival of her drama. Ibsen, a Norwegian, brought about the renaissance in the modern drama. The influence of Ibsen was with the production of T. W. Robinson’s comedy society that the awakening of drama in England was noted. Robinson, of course, was no great artist, but he marked the beginning of a prosperous voyage of the British drama. Robinson was followed by Henry Arthur Jones and Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. Both Jones and Pinero raised the English drama from the mud and placed it in a position where it could command respect.

 Under the influence of Ibsen, the drama in England began to change, improve and to treat more intimately and elaborately the serious problems of actual life. With the treatment of actual life, the British drama became more and more a vehicle for the propagation of ideas, social, political, economic and religious.

With the entry of George Bernard Shaw, the British drama has succeeded once again and occupied the central position in the literary activities of the land. A direct descendant of Ibsen, as he was, Shaw has proved to be the most outstanding British dramatist since Shakespeare. He is found to be a prolific author, and his plays contain a good many subjects and have a unique versatility. Moreover, his plays serve to propagate his caustic, anti-romantic views in diverse matters, including the evolution of man.

Some other prolific British dramatists were – J. M. Synge, John Galsworthy, James Barrie, Granville Barker, and Lady Gregory etc.

Thus, these British dramatists, with their caustic pen, were able to unveil the cloud that made the drama unremarkable, and took it to the highest position as it was in the Renaissance period.