Sensationalism is an essential feature of the heroic play. The admiration in the heroic play is not aroused merely by the contemplation of the virtues of the hero; it is also mere physical wonder at the sight of the strange, the marvelous and the terrible.
Themes are taken from the past, and the action is laid in some far off place to provide the charm of novelty and to make the “great actions” credible. This helped “admiration”, and remoteness caused willing suspension of disbelief.
Ghosts, spirits, goblins, operatic elements, scenic effects, stirring actions, bustle and turmoil, are all used to dazzle and stupefy the contemporary novelty seeking audience. The theme is taken from past history so that the dramatist may claim more reality for his absurdity. The setting is always foreign and unfamiliar, and the tip ne remote, and in this way the dramatists try to procure, “willing suspension of disbelief, for the incredible in their plays.