Unit 3 Lesson 3

Question 0

Playwrights use the following elements in drama:

Answer 0

• dialogue
• characters
• plot
• stage directions
• setting

Question 1

Drama v. Fiction

Answer 1

Drama and fiction share many elements. The common elements include dialogue, setting, characters, conflict, plot, climax, and resolution. In drama, dialogue and action work together to develop characters and tell a story. Dramas have well-rounded characters. These characters remind us of people we know in real life. Playwrights portray well-rounded characters through the careful development of dialogue that reveals not only what the characters say but how and why they say it. Dramas do not have paragraphs, instead they rely on different scenes to advance the story. Dramas rely on stage directions, which provide instructions on how the play should be performed.

Question 2

Dialogue

Answer 2

The words spoken by the characters. It reveals the nature of characters, advances the plot, and establishes theme, the work’s central message about life or human nature.

Question 3

Characters

Answer 3

Characters are the people that take part in the action of a literary work. Characters have qualities, or traits, and motivations shown through their words and actions. They face one or more conflicts. They develop theme through their words and actions.

Question 4

Plot

Answer 4

The plot is the events in the play. It may be organized to develop suspense. It focuses on a conflict, or struggled between opposing forces. The plot builds to a climax, or turning point. The plot shows relationships between characters’ actions and events and expresses theme.

Question 5

Stage directions

Answer 5

Stage directions are the instructions on how the play should be performed. They describe scenery, lighting, and sound effects and tell how characters behave.

Question 6

Setting

Answer 6

The setting is the time and place in which the action occurs. It creates mood.

Question 7

Two main categories of dramas:

Answer 7

Comedies and tragedies

Question 8

Comedy

Answer 8

A comedy usually deals with a light subject or handles a dark subject in an upbeat way.

Question 9

Tragedy

Answer 9

In a tragedy, events lead to the downfall or death of the main character. Sometimes a playwright may combine elements of both comedy and tragedy in a single work.

Question 10

Character motivation

Answer 10

The reasons a character feels or behaves a certain way.