1. The Structure of Drama
Chapter 5

2. Focus Questions What are the narrative essentials of a written play?
What influence has Aristotle had on drama?
How does modern drama differ from traditional drama?
What does the exposition of a play reveal?
How is a plot divided into parts?
How do playwrights create characters?
What is the theme of a play?
How do playwrights use dialogue, action, and situation?

3. Introduction
A play has four narrative essentials: exposition, plot, characters, and theme.
The essentials are communicated through dialogue and action
Structure: the way the playwright arranges and presents the essentials
Plays that will survive will be those that reveal the heights and depths of human experience and serve as an uplifting and creative force in civilization.

4. Tradition and Innovation – Aristotle
Aristotle (Greek philosopher, BC) wrote Poetics stating the key elements of a successful play.
Drama is an imitation of life
We learn through imitation
Learning something is the greatest pleasure in life
Human happiness or misery takes the form of action
Therefore, plot is the most important element of a play

5. Aristotle’s Key elements of a Play
Spectacle (visible part)
Sound (audible part)
Diction (language)
Character (people)
Reasoning (they way speech is used to present aspects, including emotions)
Plot (action and events)

6. Aristotle’s Philosophy
Action must have unity
Events must occur in logical order with a plausible conclusion
Protagonist must be believable, “average or better” people who experience happiness or misery resulting from reactions to situations
Action in tragedy should purge emotions (of audience) though pity or fear (catharsis)
Play should reveal universal truth

7. Evolution of Aristotle’s Ideas
Aristotle’s theories came to be considered rules
French & neoclassicists (16th C) set up rules requiring 3 unities: time, action, and place
Their rules required a 24-hour period and a single place
The 3 unities became essentials in French classical tragedy
Later playwrights discarded traditional rules

8. Modern Changes to Structure
Many plays are two parts of several scenes with an intermission instead of 3-Act or 5-Act structure
Open stage is increasingly used
Eliminates the principle of aesthetic distance
Removes reminder that a play is a play and not reality

9. Narrative Essentials – Exposition
The literary setting exposed in exposition:
what kind of play is being presented
where and when it takes place
who the leading characters are
what situations and conflicts take place
Problem: exposition is necessary but information without action is uninteresting
Effective exposition: brief and unobtrusive; gives information in a subtle way

10. Methods of Exposition
Time and place printed in program and assumed at the beginning
A character states the facts, then what follows reveals information that the audience needs in order to understand the play action

11. Atmosphere and Mood Established in the exposition
Atmosphere largely created by staging and lighting
Added to with various tempos of speech and movement, and choice of language
Atmosphere brings out feelings that create the mood of the play
Mood established by characters, setting, lighting, dialogue
Audience should be able to identify mood at the start of the play. (Playwright’s job)
Mood is subject to change or reversal as play progresses.

12. Essentials of Exposition
Preliminary Situation (Antecedent Action): the most important part of the exposition
Events that occur before the action of the play begins; therefore, the basis for the play
Techniques for exposition PS:
Minor characters bring audience up to date
Prologues
Telephone conversations
Narrators
Ingenious scenic effects

13. Prologue Example – Romeo & Juliet
The expert dramatist conveys a great deal of info very quickly. Shakespeare’s beginning of R&J show:
Romeo’s and Juliet’s families are feuding
Romeo thinks he’s in love with Rosaline
Paris in interested in Juliet
Romeo & Juliet are doomed to death
Prince decrees death penalty for next to start quarrel
Romeo hears of a party at Juliet’s and decides to go in disguise

14. Application Activity Read first two scenes of any Shakespearean play.
Identify elements that reveal:
Where
When
Why
Who
What methods are used to convey the information necessary for the exposition?
Be specific

15. Plot Events that take place Problem faces protagonist
Conflict between protagonist & antagonist
Conflicting elements give rise to suspense
Conflict is resolved in some manner
Plot unfolds in several stages

16. Stages in Plot Structure
How the Plot Develops
Preliminary Situation
Explanation of events that occurred before action of play begins.
Initial Incident
First important event from which the rest of the plot develops. Makes the audience wonder what will happen next.
Rising Action
All or nearly all important characters introduced; goals and obstacles facing protagonist revealed; series of situations develop from conflict.
Lifts the level of interest in the audience.
Climax
Turning point of action; moment of intense crisis. Determines the outcome of the conflict.
Falling Action
Shorter than the rising action; incidents must be significant.
Conclusion
Logical outcome of preceding action: success, failure, happiness, sorrow of characters

17. Plot Structure Preliminary Action Initial Incident Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Conclusion 4 5 3 6 1 2
Another term for resolution is denouement – French term for “untying the knot”
It addresses the untangling of complications.
Aristotle explains, “By complication I mean everything from the beginning of the story up to the point where the hero suffers a change of fortune; by denouement, everything from the latter point to the end.”

18. Georges Polti: The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations
Supplication
Slaying of unrecognized kinsman
Deliverance
Self-sacrificing for an ideal
Crime pursued by vengeance
Self-sacrifice for kindred
Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
All sacrificed for passion
Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
Pursuit
Rivalry of superior and inferior
Disaster
Adultery
Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune
Crimes of love
Revolt
Discovery of loved one’s dishonor
Daring enterprise
Obstacles to love
Abduction
An enemy loved
The enigma
Ambition
Obtaining
Conflict with a god
Enmity of kinsmen
Mistaken jealousy
Rivalry of kinsmen
Erroneous judgment
Murderous adultery
Remorse
Madness
Recovery of lost one
Fatal imprudence
Loss of loved ones
Involuntary crimes of love

19. Application Activities
Choose a play or a story with you are familiar. Outline the elements of the plot, using a chart similar to one explaining plot of Romeo & Juliet.
Test Georges Polti’s assertion that all drama is based on just 36 situations. Recall several dramatic situations from plays or films. Do they fit one (or more) of Polti’s categories?

20. Characters
Characters in a play should be people who can hold the audience’s interest throughout the play.
In a well-written play, even minor characters are interesting and unique
Some plays (esp. 20th C), have group protagonists
Our Town
Must be vivid and varied in personality
Traits made evident through speech and action, and what others say about them

21. Characters Actions must suit positions in life and past experience
Dialogue reflects:
Character’s time
Social class
Community
Experience
Character actions/speech must move plot forward
Cannot speak aimlessly like do in real life

22. Character Actions
Clever lines *Witty dialogue can hurt a play if not in harmony with overall aim of the playwright*
Soliloquies: speeches when actors talk alone
Vital part of drama until realistic plays became popular
Most important phase of characterization is understanding character motivation
Action/speech must have a reason behind it

23. Questions Playwrights Must Ask
What does the character want or need?
Who or what stands in the way of the character’s needs or wants?
What conditions affect the character’s thoughts, words, and actions?
Why does the character say or do certain things?

24. Application Activity
Study a character in a play or a work of fiction. Use the questions above to define the character’s motivation and personality. Then assume the part of that character as other members of your class ask you questions. Answer the question as you think the character would answer them.

25. Theme The basic idea of the play
Dramatized through conflicts of characters
Often left to interpretation
Do not mistake a minor truth for the main theme
Theme is the specific idea that gives unity and purpose to everything that happens
Title of play
Key Line

26. Theme vs. Moral
Moral is a lesson or a principle contained within a play
Although some plays make moral statements, many plays have no particular moral

27. Review Vocabulary Terms – know definitions
Name and define the four narrative essentials of a play.
How are the essentials communicated by a playwright?
Who first expressed the principles of traditional drama? What did he identify as key elements of a play?
How does modern drama differ from traditional drama?
What are the five major parts of plot structure that follow the preliminary situation?
How does theme differ from moral?
Describe three methods of characterization playwrights use.
Identify the four narrative essentials present in a movie or a play. Discuss how the playwright presents each.
Describe how theme is conveyed in a play or a movie.