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Structure (The Arrangement of Action, Otherwise Known As Plot)

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Structure (The Arrangement of Action, Otherwise Known As Plot) Structure (The arrangement of action, otherwise known as plot) The arrangement of the parts of the plot and their relationship to each other and to the whole play is its structure . The beat, units, scenes, and acts make up the harmonious edifice of a play. Regardless of their size or arrangement, each of these structural parts continues to perform its assigned function in the play as a whole. The main difference in the structure from one play to the next is the arrangement and relative emphasis devoted to each of its parts. The proper structure of a play’s plot has been under debate since the 4 th century B.C. In The Poetics, Aristotle’s treatise on the nature of drama, the philosopher asserted that a successful drama has a beginning, middle and end and is divided by what he referred to as the peripeteia or recognition and reversal . This is often represented as a triangle. Fig 1 MIDDLE PERIPETEIA or REVERSAL RECOGNITION or ANAGNORISIS BEGINNING END Most English textbooks suggest that plot consists of Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouement or Resolution. The terms come from the German dramatist and novelist, Gustav Freytag who represented the parts of a plot as a pyramid, the so-called Freytag Pyramid. According to Freytag’s way of thinking, plays consist of five distinct parts separated by three crises in the following way: FREYTAG PYRAMID Fig 2 CLIMAX RISING ACTION or COMPLICATION FALLING ACTION or UNRAVELLING CATASTROPHE EXPOSITION RESOLUTION Freytag described many accurate fundamentals, but he was not always clear about his terms. Consequently, succeeding generations have adjusted them to suit their needs. Despite all this, there is no law of playwriting that requires a balanced methodical arrangement. Modern drama has moved away from the more traditional, linear, chronological, balanced plot structure favoring non linear action sequences and unconventional climaxes. For this reason, a more practical approach is to consider dramatic structure as one rising line ascending at an upward angle, interrupted by a series of important events. This way, all plots, whether traditional or not can be placed on the same diagram. TENSION ACTION TIME Fig 3 All Plots feature certain elements regardless of their linear or non-linear action sequence. Stasis Intrusion or Inciting Action Battle to Re-establish Stasis Climax Resolution Stasis: The period of equilibrium or status quo that exists at the beginning of the play when all the forces are not yet in conflict. Intrusion or Inciting Action : the single event in the play that sparks the main action. It is the thing that comes along and happens to upset the status quo or stasis. Battle to reestablish Stasis : The characters want things in order to reestablish stasis in their world. They fight for those things. It’s not easy. Sometimes they get what they want, but it’s not what they hoped it would be and the battle continues. Sometimes it takes them a few tries before they either succeed in finding stasis or die trying. Climax : Scholars debate exactly what the climax is in drama. Is a climax the turning point, crisis or catastrophe? Is there one, two or many? The literal definition is ‘turning point’ and, according to Freytag, the climax is the point where the protagonist’s affairs take their final turn for better or worse. This works in classically structured play’s like Hamlet with one simple story line that forces follow to the end of the play. But in modern drama, there can be multiple points. So for directors, a more practical approach is to think of the climax as a prominent peak of high intensity that produces a significant change in the characters. As a rule, most plays contain one major climax that represents the most dramatic moment and the point of highest intensity and tension. Usually this moment is towards the end of the play and is proceeded by scenes containing minor climaxes within the battle to reestablish stasis . It may be also helpful to point out that the climax is a composite term used to describe two distinct processes, described by Aristotle, that occur one after the other onstage: recognition and reversal . Recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge on the part of the major character. Reversal refers to a drastic change in fortune. In classical tragedies, changes in fortune are accompanied by a catastrophe , or event of physical violence, such as Oedipus’s self-mutilation and Hamlet’s death. In modern plays the catastrophe may not be physical violence but can be something just as catastrophic, like the loss of money, love or self worth. Resolution : The resolution comprises all the events following the major climax . Sometimes this feature is variously referred to as the denouement, outcome, falling action or unraveling. The resolution is characterized by a gradual quieting of tension and the emergence of a new relationship between the opposing forces. It is an apparent re-balancing of the conflict as the new stasis or status quo takes the stage and the play finishes. ASSIGNEMENT: Plotting the Action 1. Look at Tartuffe . 2. Describe the stasis at the beginning of the play. 3. What is the moment of intrusion that sets free the forces that drive the play to the end? 4. What do the main characters want? What are their main obstacles to getting what they want? 5. What are the major points of emotional intensity? What is the major climax? What are the minor climaxes between the intrusion and the major climax? 6. Does the leading character go through a recognition and reversal? If so, what is it? Does the reversal lead to better or worse fortune for the major character? 7. What important actions occur, if any, after the major climax or highest point of emotional intensity (what is the resolution)? 8. What is the final stasis? 9. Plot the overall pattern formed by the stasis, intrusion, battle to re-establish stasis (minor climaxes), major climax and resolution in a graph like the one found in figure 3. 10. What does the structure suggest about the mise-en-scene (literally means ‘ placing on the stage’ and is used as an expression to describe the design aspects of a theatrical production, i.e. set, lighting, sound, costume design and acting style). In the study of plot, beginning theatre students are inclined to devote most of their time to understanding the basic actions themselves, but this is not all that goes into crafting an effective plot. Besides being able to identify these important features, we also need to explore the play’s progress, disruptions and the arrangement of the scenes and units. At first, it may be tricky to catch the flow of the dramatic action and develop a sense of how the scenes relate to one another and to the play as a whole. The temptation is to read plays merely as sequential arrangements of scenes without regard for their internal connections and patterns. But analyzing a play’s structure is essential for professional work and the creation of dynamic performance that holds the audience’s interest. .
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