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1. Don Juan
The legend of Don Juan is very old. An irresistible womanizer, who enjoyed seducing women and fighting their man afterwards, has been the favorite topic of many authors during the history, such as:
However, the first written version is believed to originate in Spain in the 17th century, and the credit goes to Tirso de Molina. Don Juan is a mythical figure (in opposite to say Giacomo Casanova) and it simply represents the desire of many men to literally have any women he points his finger on. A word of warning though - in the original play, Don Juan is eventually dragged to hell for his, shall we say, activities.
2. The Taming of the Shrew by W. Shakespeare
It's pretty much impossible to talk about drama and avoid mentioning one of the greatest drama writer of all times, William Shakespeare. I mean, who of you guys would be able to sit down and produce a piece of art that would still be amusing 400 years later? I know I'd had a hard time doing so. The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy depicting how a Verona gentleman Petruchio turns his stubborn wife Katherina into subtle and obedient woman using multiple psychological torments - hence the term taming.
In fact, Katherina acknowledges pretty much anything Petruchio says in the end, like "the sun is the moon". Even though little controversial, The Taming of The Shrew is an age-tested classics and it perfectly shows the never ending "fighting" between the male and the female view of the world.
3. Lektra by Sophokles
Remember that ancient Greece note? The fact is those old fellas were pretty good in writing Drama and it would be folly to neglect one of the top pieces of this genre just because they're a couple of thousands years old. Basic human desires like revenge have probably not changed during the millennia; that's what makes Elektra eligible to be played even today.
She and her brother Orestes are destined to avenge the murder of their father, king Agamemnon. The justice is done in the end, the murderer Clytemnestra is slayed by her children; a classic Greece tragedy presenting a totally disrupted family.
4. The Importance of Being Earnest by O. Wilde
Oscar Wilde was really wild - in a way. This Irish poet and playwriter managed to become one of the most successful and famous author in 1890?s London. Unfortunately, he died at a young age thanks to his unfortunate imprisonment (he was a supposed gay). The Importance of Being Earnest is one of his top works. It is a comedy with an innovative aspect - the main character creates an illusory person in order to avoid his many duties and obligations.
Ernest Worthing, a typical English gentleman, is guilty of living a double life. He has a ward in the country named Cecily and pretends to also have a younger brother in London, whenever he wants to get away; the irony is that his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff, does the same thing - he maintains an illusory invalid friend in the country instead. The story then goes on, as both men wishes to marry their beloved women, but must overcome the obstacles in terms of their parents first. They eventually succeed, with Ernest realizing "the importance of being Earnest".
5. A Doll's House by H. Ibsen
Being probably the best drama of the Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House is often nicknamed as "the first feminist play". The play was a bit controversial at the time of it's premiere (late 19th century), because it assumed a very critical attitude towards usual marriage. Nora is a devoted wife to his husband, Torvald. She is very fond of him and often acts as a child, while Torvald enjoys it as well, because he loves when he has someone to command and direct; that's how their marriage went on for years.
Torvald gets a new job and intends to fire one of his employees for minor fraud; the employee named Krogstad, however, holds a proof that Nora herself cheated in order to borrow money for her husband's convalescence. Krogstad later on gives up the proof, but Nora decides to reveal the thing nevertheless, acting on a belief that her husband would forgive her. Torvald does quite the opposite and casts her out; he changes his mind later, but the damage is already done. Nora chooses to go away from him and their children and seek her own fortune.
6. The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams
One of the American classics has been written in 1948 and first launched in Broadway in 1961. There has also been a movie version a few years later, quite successful as well. A reverend named T. Lawrence Shannon suffers from a nervous breakdown after making harsh comments about God. He then takes a job at a travel agency and to make things worse, he is accused of raping a minor shortly afterwards.
Most of the play takes place in a Mexican hotel run by Shannon's friend Maxine. Former reverend not only has to deal with his group of tourists (they really don't like him thanks to the supposed rape) but also with a keen interest of Maxine. One last character to introduce is Hannah, a spinster who also arrives to the hotel and will eventually develop a strong relationship with Shannon. Night of the Iguana is a play about sex, relationships and everybody reaching "the end of their ropes", like a tied Iguana.
7. Pygmalion by G. B. Shaw
To conclude with a comedy, I'm glad to present of the best - Pygmalion. This one is describing a bet between two gentlemen - Colonel Pickering and a professor of phonetics, Henry Higgins, that the latter will cultivate a flower-selling girl from the street. The play then goes on by the girl, Eliza Doolittle, accepting participation in this bet and various comic moments in the "cultivation process", such as Eliza unwilling to undress for her bath - even though the professor doesn't really see her as a sexual object.
Professor invests some time into Eliza, cultivating her and making her a true English lady. He ultimately wins the bet, but faces great difficulties afterwards - because while it's nice that a girl who sells flowers can act like a lady, what is she supposed to do now?
Conclusion
Drama is a very wide genre and there are thousands of great plays, but many of them are local and it is almost impossible to give them any credit beyond the country borders. It was difficult to choose some that are capable of receiving such credit and if you're thinking about more of them, feel free to share them with us.
Thank you for reading!
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