Dramatic Action/ Structure

Three Elements of Theatre:  1) That which is performed 2) The performance 3) The audience

Special Qualities of Theatre:

           Lifelike

           Ephemeral

           Objective—in that it presents both speech and interpretive action.

           Complexity of Means

           Psychologically Immediate

The Script:

           Drama is written to be interpreted and performed

           Drama requires more of the reader than most literature: reader must understand both what is stated and what is implied.

Dramatic Action Has:

           Purpose: Some desire or goal.

           Passion: Strength of desire and willingness to struggle.

           Perception: Some understanding resulting from struggle. (Francis Fergusson, American critic and theorist, 1904-1986)

Dramatic Action Is:

           Is complete and self-contained

           Is organized

           Has variety

           Is engaging

           Is internally consistent

A play can be unified by:

          Cause and effect relationships (plot)

          Character Elements:

          Physical or biological: gender, age, size, ethnicity, general appearance

          Societal: economic status, profession or trade, religion, family

          Psychological: habitual responses, desires, motivations, likes or dislikes, “objectives”

          Moral: value system—what are they willing to do to get what they want?

          Thought: theme, point of view, argument, “meaning”, social action, allegory, and      symbol.

Terminology:

Protagonist:

That central character or group of characters, on stage much of the time, whose quest shapes the action.

Antagonist:

That character or group of characters, on stage much of the time, whose quest is in conflict with the protagonist's.

          Quest: A long or arduous search for something: an act or instance of seeking.

Super Objective:

The purpose or quest. The overall desire or goal of a character, particularly the protagonist.

Exposition:

Establishes place, occasion, characters, mood, theme, and “rules”. Must give information and be engaging to draw the audience into the action.

Point of Attack:

The moment when the exposition ends and the story begins. Can come early or later in the action.

Inciting Incident:

A question, conflict, or theme which starts the action.

Dramatic Question:

Usually the result of the incident. A question around which the play is organized, eg. Will the murderer of Laius be found and the city of Thebes be saved? (Oedipus Rex)

Rising Action:

Comprised of a series of complications and discoveries

Discoveries may include: objects, persons, facts, values, or self.

Complications usually have a development, climax, and resolution.

Reversal (Peripeteia):

A change in fortune from bad to good or good to bad.

Recognition (Anagnoresis):

When a character becomes aware of a fact or of a moral or spiritual condition in himself or another.

Climax:

Highest point of suspense. Usually the result of a crisis: the discovery or event that determines the outcome of the action.

Falling action (Denouement):

Ties up loose ends, answers questions, solidifies the theme.

Conclusion:

The end of the play. May be a final resolution, or may pose a new questions as yet to be answered (cliff-hanger).

Subplots:

Plots other than the main plot. May be quite prominent. Used as support for or contrast to the main plot.