Drama is the specific
mode of
narrative, typically
fictional,
represented in
performance. The term comes from the
Greek word ,
drama, meaning
action, which is derived from the verb ,
drao, meaning
to do or
to act. The enactment of drama in
theatre, performed by
actors on a
stage before an
audience, presupposes
collaborative modes of production and a
collective form of reception. The
structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of
literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception. The
early modern tragedy Hamlet (
1601) by
Shakespeare and the
classical Athenian tragedy
Oedipus the King (c. 429 BC) by
Sophocles are among the masterpieces of the art of drama. A modern example is
Long Day's Journey into Night (1956) by
Eugene O’Neill.