Elements of Drama

1
Elements of Drama

• Characters/Characterization
• The actors in a storys plot.
• The protagonist is the main character, the
  character who has a conflict that is resolved in
  the end.
• The antagonist is in conflict with the main
  character.
• Setting
• What is the setting of the play?
• How does Shakespeare tell you the setting?

2
Elements of Drama

• Theme
• The central idea or message of the play -- often
  a perception about life or human nature.
• What are the themes of Romeo and Juliet?
• Fate determines destiny.
• Others?

3
Elements of Drama

• Dialogue
• Most of the plot and characterization in a play
  in revealed through the dialogue.
• Acts and scenes
• Plays are divided into acts and scenes, which
  indicate a change in location or the passage of
  time.
• Line numbers are used in poetry. Why are they
  used in Romeo and Juliet?

4
Elements of Drama

• Plot
• The series of related events in which a problem,
  or conflict, is explored and then solved. The
  conflict may be a struggle between people,
  between ideas, or between other forces.
• An external conflict is one between a character
  and an outside force, such as another character.
• An internal conflict takes place within the mind
  of a character who is torn between opposing
  feelings or between different courses of action.

5
Plot Development

• Most plots develop in FIVE stages
• Exposition introduces the storys characters,
  setting and conflict. Where is the exposition in
  Romeo and Juliet?
• Rising action occurs as complications, twists, or
  intensifications of the conflict occur.
• Climax is the emotional high point of the story
  or play.
• Falling action is the logical result of the
  climax.
• Resolution presents the final outcome of the
  story.

6
Tragedy / Tragic Hero

• Tragedy
• Dramatic work which ends in a disastrous
  conclusion for the protagonist.
• At the end, the audience feels a sense of relief
  (catharsis) because there is both fear and pity
  for the protagonist.
• Tragic Hero
• A person of "noble" birth (but not necessarily
  "perfect") who suffers from excessive pride
  (hubris) and doesn't take or seek advice. He
  makes a bad choice through an error of judgment
  (hamartia), and as a result, gets to a point
  where he has no other option than his own death.