The plays written by King Rama II and well known and greatly praised as being superbly composed and expressing exquisite beauty in language. Thus the plays are regarded mainly as masterpieces of literature and very little attention is paid to their dramatic values. The author, however, holds the opinion that these plays were written mainly to be performed and thus has selected Inao and Ramakien, King Rama II’s Lakon Nai plays, as illustrations to support the opinion. The fact is that Lakon Nai of Royal Court is the most refined form of Thai dance-drama. Besides, the period of King Rama II is important in the history of Thai drama because Lakon Nai reached its zenith during this time. Believing that the main purpose in writing these plays is to have them performed, the author chose to discuss various aspects of performance of Lakon Nai. Chapter one traces the development of dances and court drama (Lakon Nai) from the beginnings to the period of King Rama II. Chapter two deals with the performance of Lakon Nai of the Royal Court in the reign of King Rama II. This chapter is sub-divided into sections: Purpose of Lakon Nai, occasion of Performance, Audience, Place of Acting, Stage and Scenery, Dance Design, Music and Song, Technique of Performance, Costuming, and Dancers. From this study, it is clear that the methods of performance of Lakon Nai in the reign of King Rama II differ greatly from those of later periods. As a matter of fact, very few people nowadays are interested in the presentation of Lakon Nai in the period of King Rama II. Chapter Three describes the two plays: Inao and Ramakien, composed by King Rama II and the interpretations of these dramatic pieces in terms of music, song, dance design and acting. Chapters four and five present a comparative study of the two plays composed by King Rama II and the plays of the same titles and stories written in other periods, with emphasis on various acting aspects. Script continuity, acting technique, and vitality of the script are being examined in order to find out why these scripts are more effective on stage than other versions. This comparative study is made in two separate chapters. Inao composed by King Rama II is compared with Inao composed by King Rama I in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five, Ramakien composed by King Rama II is compared with Ramakien of the Ayudhaya period, of King Dhonburi, of King Rama I, and of King Rama IV. Chapter Six presents the aspects of communication of these dramas: context, and artistic values. The author believes that a study of performing aspects of dramatic literature is as important as the study in other areas such as language and diction, because looking at a play from an acting viewpoint can enlarge the readers’ abilities to appreciate the values of the content and the artistic qualities of this particular form of literature--drama.
