1. HENRIK IBSEN — Social Realism and the Crisis of Bourgeois Order
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Bourgeois hypocrisy, gender roles, social illusion |
| Orientation | Critical realism (proto-modernist) |
| Dramatic form | Linear realism with psychological depth |
| Key innovation | Domestic realism as ideological critique |
| Reality model | Social order built on repression and illusion |
| Character model | Individual trapped in social structure |
| Style principle | Natural dialogue, symbolic realism |
| Major works | A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler |
| Philosophical tendency | Moral realism + social critique |
2. AUGUST STRINDBERG — Psychological Fragmentation and Expressionism
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Psychological instability, conflict, desire |
| Orientation | Early expressionist modernism |
| Dramatic form | Fragmented realism → expressionism |
| Key innovation | Inner psyche externalized on stage |
| Reality model | Reality = psychological conflict |
| Character model | Split, unstable subjectivity |
| Style principle | Intense dialogue, symbolic distortion |
| Major works | Miss Julie, A Dream Play |
| Philosophical tendency | Psychological determinism + existential tension |
3. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW — Intellectual Drama and Social Critique
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Politics, class, morality, ideology |
| Orientation | Intellectual realism |
| Dramatic form | Dialectical dialogue drama |
| Key innovation | Drama as philosophical debate |
| Reality model | Society structured by ideological contradiction |
| Character model | Idea-driven social figures |
| Style principle | Wit, irony, argumentative dialogue |
| Major works | Pygmalion, Major Barbara |
| Philosophical tendency | Rational social critique |
4. SAMUEL BECKETT — Absurdism and the Collapse of Meaning
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Meaninglessness, time, existential void |
| Orientation | Theatre of the Absurd |
| Dramatic form | Minimalist, static, repetitive structure |
| Key innovation | Anti-plot, anti-character drama |
| Reality model | World without stable meaning or direction |
| Character model | Reduced, disembodied figures |
| Style principle | Silence, repetition, linguistic breakdown |
| Major works | Waiting for Godot, Endgame |
| Philosophical tendency | Existential nihilism |
5. EUGENE O’NEILL — Tragic Modern Psychology
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Family trauma, addiction, psychological collapse |
| Orientation | Modern psychological tragedy |
| Dramatic form | Realist + expressionist hybrid |
| Key innovation | Freudian psychology on stage |
| Reality model | Human life shaped by unconscious drives |
| Character model | Neurotic, tragic individuals |
| Style principle | Emotional intensity, symbolic realism |
| Major works | Long Day’s Journey Into Night |
| Philosophical tendency | Psycho-deterministic tragedy |
6. LUIGI PIRANDELLO — Metatheatre and Identity Instability
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Identity, illusion, reality vs performance |
| Orientation | Metatheatrical modernism |
| Dramatic form | Play-within-play structure |
| Key innovation | Collapse of boundary between actor and role |
| Reality model | Reality is unstable and performative |
| Character model | Fragmented, multiple selves |
| Style principle | Reflexivity, ambiguity |
| Major works | Six Characters in Search of an Author |
| Philosophical tendency | Relativism of identity |
7. BERTOLT BRECHT — Epic Theatre and Political Alienation
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Class struggle, ideology, political consciousness |
| Orientation | Marxist modernist drama |
| Dramatic form | Epic theatre (non-illusionistic) |
| Key innovation | Alienation effect (Verfremdungseffekt) |
| Reality model | Social reality as historically constructed |
| Character model | Type-driven social agents |
| Style principle | Disruption of emotional immersion |
| Major works | Mother Courage and Her Children, The Caucasian Chalk Circle |
| Philosophical tendency | Historical materialism |
8. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS — Emotional Realism and Psychological Symbolism
| Dimension | Position |
|---|
| Core focus | Desire, decay, emotional fragility |
| Orientation | Poetic psychological realism |
| Dramatic form | Symbolic realism |
| Key innovation | Emotional truth vs social illusion |
| Reality model | Emotional instability beneath social surface |
| Character model | Fragile, desire-driven individuals |
| Style principle | Symbolic objects, lyrical dialogue |
| Major works | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| Philosophical tendency | Psychological vulnerability of modern subject |
9. STRUCTURAL MAP OF MODERNIST DRAMA
| Axis | Dominant Mode | Playwrights |
|---|
| Social realism | Bourgeois critique | Ibsen, Shaw |
| Psychological fragmentation | Inner conflict | Strindberg, O’Neill |
| Metatheatre | Identity instability | Pirandello |
| Political theatre | Ideological critique | Brecht |
| Existential minimalism | Meaning collapse | Beckett |
| Symbolic emotional realism | Desire and fragility | Williams |
CORE INTELLECTUAL STRUCTURE OF MODERNIST DRAMA
Modernist drama evolves through a progressive breakdown of theatrical certainty:
Social Order → Psychological Depth → Ideological Critique → Existential Collapse
More structurally:
- Victorian realism becomes insufficient for modern complexity
- Psychology replaces external action as dramatic core
- Language and identity become unstable
- Theatre turns into philosophical experimentation space
FINAL SYNTHESIS
Modernist drama transforms theatre into:
- A space of psychological exposure
- A medium for ideological critique
- A laboratory for identity instability
- A structure for existential questioning
Deep structure:
Society → Psyche → Ideology → Void