THE 6 DRAMATIC ELEMENTS MUA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA

tension Tension can sometimes be seen as conflict. As the audience anticipates certain outcomes in the plot, the tension builds. The development of tension is caused by: A dramatic change in mood Uneasy feelings about what will happen next Characters will act drastically differently without notice Example: When someone walks into a haunted house and it’s completely silent.

contrast Contrast is when the mood of the story changes. The development of contrast is caused by: Characters that have completely different moods When the setting of the story does not reflect the characters Example: When the happy bunny is living in a snow-covered, desolate forest alone.

mood Mood is the feeling or tone of a story. The mood of a performance is closely linked with everyday feelings such as pity, anger, desire or frustration. The development of mood is caused by: Sounds and noises heard by characters (ambulance, screaming, etc.) The setting The actions of characters The conflict in the story Example: When a family is happy at the dinner table and suddenly they hear a scream from the other room.

symbols The use of symbol in dramatic performance can be one of the simplest and also most complicated of all techniques. Essentially, symbolism implies a greater meaning than the literal suggestion. Types of dramatic symbols can be: 1. Use of colour (red symbolizes anger, white symbolizes purity) 2. Things that represent feelings (rose symbolizes love, dove symbolizes freedom, raven symbolizes death) Example: A black raven flies in front of a person, symbolizing they may die.

conflict Playwright George Bernard Shaw once said ‘No conflict, no drama’. Drama that lacks conflict is normally dull and uninspiring. The development of conflict is caused by: A conflict between characters A conflict between a character and the environment An inner-conflict A conflict between a character and society Example: when a character is struggling with who they are after the loss of a friend.

Climax Most drama will have one or more crises in the development of the plot. A crisis is a key moment of dramatic tension and conflict in the play, usually occurring between two or more characters and having serious implications for the outcome of the plot. The ultimate crisis, or highest peak, is usually called the climax and often (but not always) occurs toward the end of a performance. There can also be more than one climax, although this is uncommon. The development of the climax is caused by: A build up of tension. 2. The conflict is about to be solved 3. An important detail of the story has been revealed. Example: After a fist-fight with the masked villain, the hero is about to take off the mask to see it is…