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melodramamore about melodrama

melodrama

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Drama  \Dra"ma\  (?;  277),  n.  [L.  drama,  Gr  ?,  fr  ?  to  do  act 
  cf  Lith.  daryti.] 
  1.  A  composition,  in  prose  or  poetry,  accommodated  to  action 
  and  intended  to  exhibit  a  picture  of  human  life,  or  to 
  depict  a  series  of  grave  or  humorous  actions  of  more  than 
  ordinary  interest,  tending  toward  some  striking  result.  It 
  is  commonly  designed  to  be  spoken  and  represented  by 
  actors  on  the  stage. 
 
  A  divine  pastoral  drama  in  the  Song  of  Solomon. 
  --Milton. 
 
  2.  A  series  of  real  events  invested  with  a  dramatic  unity  and 
  interest.  ``The  drama  of  war.''  --Thackeray. 
 
  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way  The 
  four  first  acts  already  past,  A  fifth  shall  close 
  the  drama  with  the  day  Time's  noblest  offspring  is 
  the  last  --Berkeley. 
 
  The  drama  and  contrivances  of  God's  providence. 
  --Sharp. 
 
  3.  Dramatic  composition  and  the  literature  pertaining  to  or 
  illustrating  it  dramatic  literature. 
 
  Note:  The  principal  species  of  the  drama  are  {tragedy}  and 
  {comedy};  inferior  species  are  {tragi-comedy}, 
  {melodrama},  {operas},  {burlettas},  and  {farces}. 
 
  {The  romantic  drama},  the  kind  of  drama  whose  aim  is  to 
  present  a  tale  or  history  in  scenes,  and  whose  plays  (like 
  those  of  Shakespeare,  Marlowe,  and  others)  are  stories 
  told  in  dialogue  by  actors  on  the  stage.  --J.  A.  Symonds 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Melodrama  \Mel`o*dra"ma\,  n.  [F.  m['e]lodrame,  fr  Gr  ?  song  + 
  ?  drama.] 
  Formerly,  a  kind  of  drama  having  a  musical  accompaniment  to 
  intensify  the  effect  of  certain  scenes.  Now  a  drama 
  abounding  in  romantic  sentiment  and  agonizing  situations, 
  with  a  musical  accompaniment  only  in  parts  which  are 
  especially  thrilling  or  pathetic.  In  opera,  a  passage  in 
  which  the  orchestra  plays  a  somewhat  descriptive 
  accompaniment,  while  the  actor  speaks;  as  the  melodrama  in 
  the  gravedigging  scene  of  Beethoven's  ``Fidelio''. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  melodrama 
  n  :  an  extravagant  comedy  in  which  action  is  more  salient  than 
  characterization




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