ABSTRACT
The quoted phrase used in this chapter's title is Kenneth Burke's, but the conjunction of "ritual" with "drama" does not, of course, originate with him. It might be helpful to begin this chapter with a brief account of the modern development of interest in the dromenon. This is the Greek term for "rite," which literally means "the thing done"; and, as the "thing" is collectively "done," it is the root of our word "drama." Two names stand out in this development: those of J. G. Frazer and Jane Harrison.
