INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA

Greek Drama—The Theater

The Globe theatre in London

Definition of Drama Drama is a literary composition involving conflict, action crisis and atmosphere designed to be acted by players on a stage in front of the audience.

Definition of Drama Drama is defined by Aristotle as “a criticism of life, on a stage, with action, characters and dialogue.” The Greek word for “deed” or “action” is drama. Drama is a composition in prose form that presents a story entirely told in dialogue and action and written with the intention of its eventual performance before an audience.

Types of Drama Tragedy Comedy A type of drama in which the characters experience the change/ reversals of fortune, usually From good to be the worse. Catastrophe and suffering await many of the characters, especially the hero Ex: Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Ibsen’s mourning becomes Electra. A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better. Things work out happily in the end. May be romantic - characterized by a tone of tolerance or satiric. Satiric works offer a darker vision of human nature, one that ridicules human folly

TRAGICOMEDY Tragi-comedy is a play that does not adhere strictly to the structure of tragedy. This is usually serious play that also has some of the qualities of comedy. It arouses thought even with laughter.

Elements of Drama PLOT Plot is the form and structure of the action and the arrangement of incidents of a story or play. Plot is only that aspect of the story which takes place on stage and which is revealed to the audience through the dramatic actions and dialogue of the characters

Dramatic structure

Dramatic structure Exposition:  the revelation of facts, circumstances, past events (in media reas), etc.  This can be done by having minor characters reveal information or it can be accomplished by plunging the audience into the action. Rising Action:  the building of interest or tension through complication of the conflict.  In this stage, the protagonist and antagonist move toward confrontation.

Dramatic structure Climax:  the play's highpoint, the decisive moment in the showdown between the protagonist and antagonist.  Once this moment has been reached, there can be no going back. Falling Action: the unraveling of the plot, where events fall into place and the conflict moves toward resolution.

Dramatic structure Denouement: the play's conclusion or outcome. The term may be applied to both comedy and tragedy.  Greeks used the term catastrophe for the tragic denouement.

CHARACTER A character is a person, animal or entity in a story, scene or play with specific, distinguishing attributes. The hopes and struggles of characters provide the principle material from which plots are made. Drama/theatre concerns itself with characters in action, and characters carry out the action of the plot. The protagonist is the main character in the plot who propels the action forward. The antagonist is the chief opponent to the protagonist. Related characters assist in the development of the plot and central characters.

Protagonist

The Protagonist

Setting Setting identifies the time and place in which the events occur. It consists of the historical period, the moment, day and season in which the incidents take place. It also includes the sceneries in the performance which are usually found in the preliminary descriptions.

THEME Theme is considered as the unifying element that defines the dramatized idea of the play. It is the over-all sense or implication of the action. It defines the problem, emphasizes the ethical judgment and suggest attitude or course of action that eliminates the crisis is an acceptable way.

STYLE Style refers to the mode of expression or presentation of the play which points out the playwright’s position or viewpoint in life.

Points Of View A. Omniscient – a story told by the author, using the third person; her/his knowledge, control, and prerogatives are unlimited; authorial subjectivity. B. Limited Omniscient – a story in which the author associates with a major or minor character; this character serves as the author’s spokesperson or mouthpiece. C. First Person – the author identifies with or disappears in a major or minor character; the story is told using the first person “I”. D. Objective or Dramatic – the opposite of the omniscient; displays authorial objectivity; compared a roving sound camera. Very little of the past or the future is given; the story is set in the present.

Symbol Symbol – a literary symbol means more than what it is. It has layers of meanings. Whereas an image has one meaning, a symbol has many. A. Names used as symbols. B. Use of objects as symbols. C. Use of actions as symbols

Irony Irony is a term with a range of meanings, all of them involving some sort of discrepancy or incongruity. It should not be confused with sarcasm which is simply language designed to cause pain. Irony is used to suggest the difference between appearance and reality, between expectation and fulfillment, the complexity of experience, to furnish indirectly an evaluation of the author’s material, and at the same time to achieve compression. Verbal irony – the opposite is said from what is intended. Dramatic irony – the contrast between what a character says and what the reader knows to true. Irony of situation – discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between what is and what would seem appropriate

Important Terms Monologue – an extended speech by one character. Soliloquy – an extended speech by one character, alone on stage. Soliloquies are used to express the private thoughts of one character. Aside – a character’s direct address to the audience, which is not heard by the other characters.

Monologues, soliloquies, and asides are dramatic techniques that provide direct insight into motives, attitudes, and overall tone. These techniques function like a fictional narrator.

Convention of drama Cast of Characters: listed in the beginning of the play, before the action starts. Act: a major division of a play Scenes: Major division of an act Stage Directions: a dramatist’s instructions for performing a play.

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