1. Drama is life with the dull bits cut out. ~Alfred Hitchcock

3. How Drama Is Like Fiction
Drama, like fiction
utilizes plot & characters
develops a theme
arouses emotion or appeals to humor
may be either escapist or interpretive in its content

4. Presented on a stage Because drama is presented on a stage,
____________ is required to see what isn’t there.
Events that are depicted must be of a size
appropriate for a stage setting.

5. Presented before an audience
This creates a communal feeling which intensifies the impact of the play
It’s an “in the moment” experience because plays are presented live and there are no “rewinds”
It’s unique because it’s never the same twice

6. Types of Drama
Tragedy—
Comedy—

7. Vocabulary terms to know
dramatic irony—
subplot—
conventions—
hamartia—
hubris—

8. How Drama Is Like Poetry
Like Poetry, Drama
may draw upon all the resources of language,
including verse.
Much drama actually is poetry. An example would be Shakespeare’s plays.

9. Presented through actors
When reading or watching a play, consider the following:
A play presents action through actors, so it’s direct, immediate, and enhanced (or ruined!) by the actor’s skills.
The facial expressions, body language, speech tones, etc. heighten the impact.

10. Elements of Drama Is similar to fiction & poetry
Is limited by its nature to objective point of view, but two techniques alter that
Is presented through actors, on a stage, &
before an audience

11. Point of View
A play is limited to an objective point of view, but two techniques exist to alter that:
A soliloquy
2. An aside

12. What is a Playwright? A playwright is _____________________.
“Playwright” is Anglo-Saxon for a “workman” or “craftsman.”