Review of chapter 2

Eric Dulay
IP 411
10/11/07

This chapter deals with Ilokano drama and the many variations of it. It first talks about the history of drama and how the Ilokos contributed before and after the Spanish rule. No matter what the influence the pace of Ilokano drama is rooted in the influence of the people. The unfortunate truth is that in the rule of the Spanish forced a good majority of the Drama to disappear. The surviving drama was redone in a Spanish revised version but still survives till this day.
A good example of this drama is the Dallot. It is a Drama that incorporates the tradition, cultural, and ritual aspects of marriages. The groom, bride, a representative from both sides, an old lady, and an old man recite the Dallot in order to seal the deal and encourage the bride and the groom to be together. The reciting of the Dallot is chanting the drama. There are many versions to the Dallot but all represent the same Idea.
The Augustinians in 1574 took the advantage of the chant-dance-dramas because they found out that it was easier to convey the message of their religious beliefs. They understood that this ritual united the people because of their will, sprit and action. Basically it was a way for teaching the rules and morals of the land. During the Holy week, which is the week of Christ’s death, they reenact the procession of Christ. Personally I think that these are the people in the province that go and nail themselves to a gigantic cross in order to prove their faith.
The Comedia is an influence of the Western Idea of drama. This doesn’t mean that it is a comedy; it just means that it is a variation of different roles on a show. The best known understanding is that during the time of the Spanish rule. This show was presented to the common folk who didn’t understand Spanish and were limited to their education. The earliest known form of comedia was in 1882 but was also know before that year. The unfortunate reality is that the works of so many have been lost.
Zarzuela is a playwright that has been produced by the educated elite. It is very similar to the comedia but also incorporates the musicals. The earliest form of this style is in the early 1900. in 1908 an example of the created playwright is by Mena Pecson Crisologo he created Noble Rivalidad, Wenno Natacneng A Panagsalisal. It’s a love story with the setting against the Philippine-American war.
One of the most important dramas that came up was the Ilikano epic, Pakasritaan Ti Panagbiag Ni Lam-ang Naga Asawa Ni Dona Ines Kannoyan also known as Story of the Life of Lam-ang, Husband of Dona Ines Kannoyan. It’s origins of creation is from the Ilokos and predates the arrival of the Spanish rulers. There are many different versions of this epic which makes it more credible for the Ilokano people. This version is has influences of the Spanish so the names are changed and the situations are altered but its content is still in tact.
Overall, the variations of Ilokano drama range from the Dallot, the religious beliefs, the comedia, to the Zarzuela and the Ilokano Epic. From my past experiences I’ve notice that the Drama is now on the television and movies; they are big events for people to see, unfortunately because of the spread of the Tagalog language almost all of the movies that I’ve seen are in that language. They are rarely in Ilokano.