DRAMA AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES: ARTISTIC EXPLORATIONS AND AESTHETIC TRANSFORMATIONS (BASED ON THE WORKS OF H. IBSEN, B. SHAW, AND M. MAETERLINCK)

Abstract

This paper deals with the phenomenon of “new drama” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an important stage in the transformation of European drama, driven by the profound social, cultural, and philosophical changes of the era. It examines the influence of the ideas of irrationalism, intuitionism, and psychoanalysis on the formation of a modernist worldview and the renewal of the artistic principles of dramatic art. The study identifies the main preconditions for the emergence of the “new drama,” including the crisis of the traditional dramatic model, the intensification of social contradictions, the escalation of the issue of personal freedom, alienation, and the spiritual crisis of the individual. The distinctive features of the poetics of the “new drama” are examined: a shift in emphasis from external action to the inner world of the character, the psychologization of conflict, the intellectualization of dialogue, and the use of subtext, symbolism, psychological pauses, and open endings. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the interaction between the dramatic work and the audience, which is drawn into an independent reflection on the issues raised. Based on the works of H. Ibsen, B. Shaw, and M. Maeterlinck, this study traces various paths toward the renewal of drama. The paper analyzes H. Ibsen’s intellectual-analytical model and the issue of personal freedom in the play “A Doll’s House”; the distinctive features of B. Shaw’s “drama of ideas,” his principle of paradox, and the affirmation of personal selfrealization in the play “Pygmalion”; М. Meterlinck’s Symbolist concept and his philosophical reflection on happiness, spiritual knowledge, and human values in the fairy-tale drama “The Blue Bird”. It is argued that, despite differences in artistic methods, the works of these three playwrights are united by a desire to rethink humanity’s place in the world and to stimulate the audience’s intellectual and moral reflection. It is demonstrated that the “new drama” became a defining factor in the development of modern European drama and laid the foundations for further explorations in 20th-century theater.