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Unit 2: Literary Terms: Problem Play, Kitchen Sink Drama, and Angry Young Man

usually concentrated on the moral dilemmas of a central character. In a series of plays Ibsen addressed Notes
a range of problems, most notably the restriction of women’s lives in A Doll’s House (1879), sexually-
transmitted disease in Ghosts (1882) and provincial greed in An Enemy of the People (1882). Ibsen’s
dramas proved immensely influential, spawning variants of the problem play in works by George
Bernard Shaw and other later dramatists.

The earliest form of problem play are found in the work of French writers such as
Alexandre Dumas, who dealt with the subject of prostitution in The Lady of the Camellias
in 1852.

2.1.1 Origin of Problem Play

The problem play (also called "thesis play," "discussion play," and "the comedy of ideas") is a
comparatively recent form of drama. It originated in nineteenth-century France but was effectively
practised and popularized by the Norwegian playwright Ibsen. It was introduced into England by
Henry Arthur Jones and A. W. Pinero towards the end of the nineteenth century. G. B. Shaw and
Galsworthy took the problem play to its height in the twentieth century. H. Granvi lie-Barker was
the last notable practitioner of this dramatic type. Thus the problem play flourished in England in
the period between the last years of the nineteenth century and the middle of the twentieth.
The concept of problem plays arose in the 19th century, as part of an overall movement known as
realism. Prior to the 19th century, many people turned to art as a mode of escape which allowed
them to look outside the world they lived in. In the 19th century, however, art began to take on a
more introspective, realistic air, with a conscious focus on ongoing issues such as the social
inequalities exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution.
Although the idea of creating problem plays was popularized in the 19th century, numerous works
have been retroactively termed problem plays. Several Greek playwrights, for example, addressed
ongoing social issues like war, in the case of Lysistrata, by Aristophanes. Several works of Shakespeare
are also considered to be problem plays, like Measure for Measure, which has very Biblical themes
of justice and truth, or Troilus and Cressida, which confronts viewers with infidelity, sexuality, and
betrayal.
Many people regard Henrik Ibsen as a master of the problem play, along with authors like George
Bernard Shaw and some 19th century French playwrights, many of whom were also authors. Problem
plays can cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from women’s rights to greed and inequality, and
they can tell their stories in a wide variety of ways. For example, it is common to have a tragic
protagonist who ultimately suffers as a result of his or her refusal to confront social problems.

Essentially, problem plays are a form of commentary on the societies they are performed
in. Because social problems are often universal across cultures and eras, many people find
something to appreciate in problem plays, whether they are contemporary or not, and such
plays tend to be popular in performance. They can also be difficult to watch, as many people
find something of themselves in the characters, and struggle with this revelation.

Far from being plays with fatal flaws, as one might imagine from the name, problem plays are
actually plays which are designed to confront viewers with modern social problems. Typically, the
theme of the play is socially relevant, and the characters confront the issue in a variety of ways,
presenting viewers with different approaches and opinions. After seeing a problem play, one is
supposed to be filled with interest in the topic at hand, and hopefully inspired to enact social change.

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