<<

Lesson Unit on Drama

Elements of Drama

1) and Structure – sequence of interrelated events chronological, circular, non‐linear, recollections, , ABDCE (Alice Adams’ formula for , background, development, , ending)

2) Characters – main – opposes the main character or motivations – internal, external thematic conflicts – self vs. self; vs. man, vs. world; vs. technology; vs. society development – dynamic vs. static

3) Stage Directions and insights into characters’ thoughts staging of scenes – proscenium (boxlike space where the actors perform in front of the entire ; gives the illusion of the fourth wall); “in the round” (audience encircles the stage) element of realism – scenes are stages true to life (may seem like there’s no style at all) varying degrees of realism – scene is memory (“nonrealistic” and “poetic”) illusion of the fourth wall – identifiable conventions; allows the audience to look into the scene; actors pretend the stage is fully enclosed

4) images to convey meaning symbols – physical gestures, lighting, sound effects, costumes, props, background scenery dialog – physical manifestations of characters’ thoughts, conversations, conflicts, motivations, development

5) Language importance of script, ’s title dialog (see note on imagery) style – indicates social background silences and pauses expression of feelings

6) play’s theme as an observation or recommendation “might” (as in “Despair might drive someone to…”) vs. “should” (as in “People who want to commit suicide should…”) literary topics – refer to Chapters 2 and 3 (in MLM, pp. 22‐74)

7) Dramatic Devices Dramatic devices are strategies used by a playwright to add interest to the work, create a particular effect on the audience, or enhance the work’s major themes. Some dramatic devices include: rising action, climax monologue lighting falling action, denouement music (resolution) Greek chorus (who comment breaking frame (proscenium vs. “in foreshadowing on the action of a play without the round”) participation in it) soliloquy costumes an aside dramatic flashbacks Foil Link to dramatic devices (definitions in detail) http://highered.mcgraw‐hill.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/drama_glossary.html

Questions to Consider When Responding to/Writing About Drama

1. How does the play begin? Is the presented dramatically through the interaction among characters, or novelistically through long, less realistic, speeches that convey a lot of information, or through some device such as the reading of long letters or lengthy reports delivered by a messenger?

2. How does the information conveyed in exposition (which may occur at various moments throughout the play) establish the basis for dramatic irony? That is, what is the role of the ironic response generated in an audience when it knows more than do the characters? For example, because we know that Iago is a villain in Shakespeare's Othello, we hear an ironic dimension in his speeches that the characters do not hear, and that irony is the source of much tension in the audience.

3. Who are the principal characters, and how are the distinctive qualities of each dramatically conveyed? How do they change as the play proceeds? Are they sympathetic? What function do the minor characters serve? A paper that thoughtfully assesses the role of minor characters can often succeed better than the attempt to analyze the major figures who may embody too much complexity to deal with in 1,000 words.

4. Where is the play set? Does it matter that it is set there? Why? Does the setting play some significant role in the drama, or is it merely a place, any place?

5. What is the central conflict in the play? How is it resolved? Is the resolution satisfying?

6. Do you need to know something of the historical circumstances out of which the play emerged, or something of the life of the author in order to fully appreciate the play? If so, how does the information enhance your understanding?

7. Since plays are usually written to be performed rather than read, what visual and auditory elements of the play are significant to your response? If you are reading a text, place yourself in the position of the director and the actors in order to respond to this aspect of drama.

8. What is the play's theme? How does the dramatic action embody that theme? a. Content · What are the play's subject and theme? · How is the theme developed? · Through dialogue? action? symbols? · Does the author take sides, or is he/she neutral? b. Type · Is the play serious or comic? · Does the play mix serious and comic elements? · Is the play naturalistic or fantastic? · Does the play mix naturalistic and non‐naturalistic elements? · Does the play simply present a situation or does it have a message? c. Structure · Is the play written in the climactic, episodic, or some other form? Give specifics.

In­text Citation Format for Drama/Play Quotations and paraphrases from works of drama, or plays, are parenthetically cited based on textual division (such as , scene, book, and/or part) (6.4.8).

Numbers are usually written in Arabic numerals for acts and scenes. (5.165) refers to Act 5, line 165 of a play.

Titles of dramatic works are italicized when mentioned in the text and should be abbreviated in citations. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's most enduring plays. (Tragedy)

Use quotation marks when you are quoting one character and the passage is three lines or less, as shown in this sample essay on Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House:

Nora makes a fruitless attempt to reassure Torvald before she leaves when she says, “I’ve heard that

when a wife deserts a husband’s house just as I’m doing, then the law frees him from all responsibility. In any

case, I’m freeing you from responsibility…There has to be absolute freedom for us both” (3.442‐445).

If you quote more than one character or more than three lines, set off the quotation by indenting one inch. Begin with the character’s name typed in all capitals followed by a period. Indent subsequent lines a further 1/4 inch:

Mrs. Linde pressures Nora to the source of her loan. Nora, however, remains resolute:

MRS. LINDE. Now don’t try to hide it, Nora. You think I can’t guess who loaned you the forty eight

hundred crowns?

NORA. Are you out of your mind? How could you think such a thing? A friend of ours, who comes here

every single day. What an intolerable situation that would have been! (2.201‐206)

Quoting dialog in a prose drama ‐ Indent the speakers one inch from the left margin. All other lines are indented one and a quarter inches. The speakers should be written in all capital letters, followed by a period. Include stage directions as they appear in the original source. Cite the page number as you would for any other quoted prose.

Early on in the play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” Walter explodes when Ruth refuses to listen to his ideas:

RUTH. Eat your eggs, Walter.

WALTER. (Slams the table and jumps up) ‐‐DAMN MY EGGS‐‐DAMN ALL THE

EGGS THAT EVER WAS!

RUTH. Then go to work.

WALTER. (Looking up at her) See‐‐I’m trying to talk to you ‘bout myself‐‐(Shaking his head with the

repetition)‐‐and all you can say is eat them eggs and go to work. (34)

Work Cited Entry Play in an Anthology or Collection MLA 5.5.6 Anthology, Playwright and Editor Begin the citation with the playwright, not the editor of the anthology.

Student sample essay on a dramatic text * See p. 184‐186 in the MLM (Full paper) * Link: http://www.shmoop.com/glass‐menagerie/literary‐devices.html (brief analyses of literary devices used in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie; may be used as a “template” in generating ideas for a full analysis paper)

Brief Thesis Statements Using Literary Devices on The Glass Menagerie

Thesis Statement / The of the Glass Menagerie (literary device – symbolism) Evidence of the symbolic importance of the glass menagerie is found in the fact that Tennessee Williams names the play after it. Glass, of course, represents fragility and as a medium for decorative items, it is considered beautiful. The menagerie is a collection, representing variety. The glass menagerie serves as a means of and escape for Laura, and an object of eventual scorn for her brother, Tom.

Thesis Statement / The Narrative Voice of The Glass Menagerie (literary device – character voice/perspective) Both a narrator of and character in The Glass Menagerie, Tom undergoes a series of personality changes and personal setbacks over the course of the play. The reader may feel his or her sympathies for Tom shifting back and forth, and the conclusion of the play may not resolve the ambivalence that the reader feels for this important character.

Thesis Statement / Helpless Women in The Glass Menagerie? (literary device – theme of gender and stereotypes) The Glass Menagerie was written by Tennessee Williams in 1944 and given this fact, it reflects some of the social norms, roles, and values of its time. One of the issues the reader of the play must consider is the way in which gender influences the personalities and behaviors of the characters. While the male characters, Tom and Jim, are presented to the reader as persons expected to provide and care for the family, many of the women in “The Glass Menagerie” seem to be helpless, fragile, and handicapped by physical disability and circumstances.

Thesis Statement / Reality vs. Fantasy in “The Glass Menagerie” (literary device – theme of reality and fantasy) Each of the characters in The Glass Menagerie lives in a fantasy world in which he or she fails to either see or accept reality. While each of the characters employs a different means of escapism, the effect is the same: disconnection from the outside world and an inability to live life on its own terms, causing constant frustration and disappointment.

Thesis Statement / Deconstructing the Conclusion of “The Glass Menagerie” (literary device – resolution or denouement) The ending of The Glass Menagerie is somewhat unsatisfying in that it does not resolve the characters’ situations or psychological limitations. It appears that there has been little or no emotional or intellectual growth for any of the characters, and their life circumstances have not improved at all.

An Outline for Play Analysis

I. Name of the play Period of play The playwright Audience the play was written for. Genre: tragedy, comedy, drama, farce, melodrama Playwright’s purpose

II. Theme: major theme minor themes

III. Breakdown of play by acts and scenes Plot development Settings Characters

IV. Character: Protagonist: character analysis motivation fatal flaw or comic weakness character evolvement/changes Antagonist Other characters: their function in relation to protagonist their function within structure of play

V. Plot: main action Exposition‐opening info Initiating incident‐what starts the ball rolling? Obstacles or conflicts Crisis Climax Resolution or denouement

VI. Use of dramatic devices: irony, foreshadowing, , surprises

VII. Language: realistic, heroic, archaic, poetic, contemporary, ethnic, original

VIII. Setting: period of style scene changes or changes within single set as play progresses essential scenic elements symbolism

Miscellaneous on Williams’ The Glass Menagerie http://dramatica.com/analysis/the‐glass‐menagerie#os This in‐depth study details the actual encoding for each structural item.