chapter 2

Question 1

play

Answer 1

• Essential unit of theatre
• It is a series of live actions, framed & focused around a particular conflict which lends the action meaning & significance

Question 2

Classifying Plays

Answer 2

• Duration (time)

- Genre: What kind of play is it?

Question 3

comedy & tragedy

Answer 3

The two genres that dominated criticism since the ancient times

Question 4

Tragedy

Answer 4

• From the greek word meaning “goat song”
• Serious play, but not devoid of humor, with a topic of universal import as its theme
• The protagonist: “carrier of the action”
• The antagonist: “ opposer of the action”

Question 5

Catharsis

Answer 5

The effect of tragedy is for the protagonist’s self-recognition (understanding) & reversal to elicit pity & terror in the audience

The audience, in empathizing with the protagonist, experiences a catharsis, or purging of the aroused emotion

Question 6

Name some tragedies

Answer 6

• Medea
• Hamlet
• King lear
• Macbeth

Question 7

Can modern plays be tragedies?

Answer 7

Death of a salesman

• By Arthur Miller
• Protagonist named Willy Loman (low- man)

Question 8

Comedies

Answer 8

• First known comedies were those of Aristophanes ( wrote The Birds)
• Always about a human conflict
• Require a happy ending
• Because they are topical, they are less enduring than tragedies
• Roman poet Horace coined the term utile dulce or sweet instruction

Question 9

Other genres

Answer 9

-Mystery plays
-History plays
–Shakespeare’s series of 9 such plays covering English Royal history (1377-1547)
-Tragicomedy
–“The tragedy that ends happily”
Dark comedy
–Usually funny at the beggining but doesn’t aim to leave us laughing
Melodrama
–“Melo” means music. Uses music to involve the emotions
Farce
–“Laugh till you cry !”

Musicals (genres cont)

• An American invention
• When words can no longer express what you want to say, you break into song

Question 10

Musical theatre genres

Answer 10

• Drama
• Melodrama
• Parody
• History
• Comedy
• Documentary
• Epic

Question 11

Genres cont pt 2

Answer 11

• Documentary: authentic evidence is used to reconstruct recent historical events
• Parody
• Detective
• Film noir
• Mystery
• War
• Romance
• Docudrama
• Cops & robbers
• Horror sci-fi

Question 12

plot

Answer 12

Plot refers to the structure of events

• -Pattern of action & reaction
• -The inciting incident drives the plot

Question 13

story

Answer 13

refers to the narrative of what is seen to happen “plotte”

Question 14

Character

Answer 14

• protagonist

- antagonist

Question 15

theme

Answer 15

• The play’s overall statement, central idea, or message
• Not propaganda
• Pertinent to the audience

Question 16

Diction

Answer 16

• Pronunciations of spoken dialogue such as accents or dialects
• Did you learn about the characters through their words ?

Question 17

Music

Answer 17

Was there music used ?

• -Preshow, intermission, during the show, after
• -Was there a band?
• -Score: sound effects?

Question 18

Spectacle

Answer 18

• Visual aspect, look of theatre & stage
• Scenery/ props
• Costumes
• Make-up
• lights

Question 19

Convention

Answer 19

The agreement between & actor entailing a set of understanding that form the context in which to watch a play

• -Lights fade then come up- time has passed
• -Lights fade to one stage area then come up on another- we have moved location
• -When an actor speaks an aside to the audience- the convention is that the other characters on stage cant hear him