elements of drama Flashcards
character
- often refers not only to a person represented in an
imagines plot, but also to the unique qualities that
make up a personality - character as part of plot and character as a kind of
personality are both predictions: this sort of person is
likely to see things from a certain angle and behave a
certain way - idea of character includes both the individual
differences among people and the classification of
similar people into types
character in drama
often compresses and simplifies personalities
- advantage of portraying characters in broader
strokes: heightens the contrast between character
times adding to the drama
plays especially concerned with character because of the concrete manner in which they are portrayed on stage
- only words in the performance of a play are spoken
by actors, usually in character
- no guide concerning judgement about characters bc
no narrator → imagination
- character patterns like protagonist and antagonist
are used; minor characters sometimes present as
foils
- line between minor/major character might be
thin/nonexistent → equal amount of time given
(ensemble play)
limited time in drama → relies on shortcuts to convey character
- stereotypes of various social roles to flesh out the
dramatic action
every performance of a given character is an interpretations → intonation, body language, wordless gestures/actions (→ stage business)
plot and structure
invention, selection and arrangement of some action
- each act is often further divided into scenes → each of
which usually takes place in a somewhat different time
+ place + features somewhat different combination of
characters - sometimes more than one plot, plot to which less time
is devoted it called subplot - one-act plays are becoming more common
- ancient greek plays: individual scenes are separated
by choral songs - sometimes plays do not depict events in chronological
order (f.e. flashbacks) - breaks in between can create suspense, relief or can
sharpen + shape our sense of the relation among
scenes and characters
plot
structured action with unifying sense of purpose
conflict
engine that drives plot
- presentation of conflict shapes the dramatic structure
of a play - dramatic conflict: each of the opposing forces must at
some point seem likely to triumph or worthy of such
triumph (conflict can be external, internal or one
idea/ideology vs another)
- typical plot involves five acts/stages:
- exposition: provides essential background information
about the characters and situation as they exist at the
beginning of a play + possibly about the events that
got the characters to this point - rising action: inciting event that leads to conflict
- climax: moment when conflict reaches its greatest
pitch of intensity and its outcome is decided - falling action: brings release of emotional tension and
moves the characters towards the resolution of their
conflict + the plot itself toward the conclusion - conclusion
- typical plot involves five acts/stages:
- exposition: provides essential background information
about the characters and situation as they exist at the
beginning of a play + possibly about the events that
got the characters to this point - rising action: inciting event that leads to conflict
- climax: moment when conflict reaches its greatest
pitch of intensity and its outcome is decided - falling action: brings release of emotional tension and
moves the characters towards the resolution of their
conflict + the plot itself toward the conclusion - conclusion
sets and settings
- sets (design, decoration, scenery) + props
(articles/objects used onstage) vary greatly in modern
productions of plays written in any period - setting = time + place where it takes place
- gaps/shifts in time are often didicated by scenery,
sound effects, stage directions or notes in the program
tone in plays
difficult to specify
- especially important in spoken form tone always
affects the meaning of spoken words to some extent
→ actor must infer from the written language how to
read a line - choice of tone must be a negotiation between the
words of the playwright and the interpretation and skill
of actor/reader - stage directions may sometimes specify the tone of a
line of dialogue
dramatic irony
character’s perception is contradicted by what the audience knows
- depends for its effect on gaps between what the
various characters and the audience know
situational irony
character’s expectations about what will happen are contradicted by what actually does happen
- especially key component of tragedy
- gap between expectations and outcomes and even
between what characters seem to deserve and
what they get
verbal irony
statement implies a meaning quite different from its obvious, literal meaning
- easy to miss; can be matter of interpretation
aspects of poetry in drama
- monologues: rarely rhyme or have regular meter, but
have figure of speech - simple actions/objects can have metaphorical
significance or turn into symbols - allusions → references to other works of
literature/art/something else external to the play can
enrich the text in similar ways
theme
not part of the work but is abstracted from it by the reader or audience → disagreement
