 Melodrama itself can be traced back to classical Greece, but the term "mélodrame" did not appear until 1766 and only entered popular usage sometime after 1800.The plays of August von Kotzebue and René Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt established melodrama as the dominant dramatic form of the early 19th century.Kotzebue in particular was the most popular playwright of his time, writing more than 215 plays that were produced all around the world.