The Elements of
Drama
dra `ma (noun)
Drama
1. a. A prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that
is intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters
and performing the dialogue and action.
b. A serious narrative work or program for television, radio, or the cinema.
2. Theatrical plays of a particular kind or period: Elizabethan drama.
3. The art or practice of writing or producing dramatic works.
4. A situation or succession of events in real life having the dramatic
progression or emotional effect characteristic of a play: the drama of the
prisoner's escape and recapture.
5. The quality or condition of being dramatic: a summit meeting full of drama.
Drama
Drama can be performed in a variety
of media:
Live
(plays, opera, musicals)
Radio
Film
Television
Elements of Drama
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2.
3.
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5.
Characters/Actors/Cast
Dialogue
Acts/Scenes
Setting
Plot
Elements of Drama
CHARACTERS/ACTORS/CAST
There are three ways in which we learn about the
characters in a play:
1. Sometimes you will find a brief description of the
characters within the cast listing at the beginning of a
play
2. Sometimes the playwright will give a description of
the character when he/she first appears in the play
3. We also learn about characters through their dialogue
and actions
Elements of Drama
DIALOGUE
Dialogue consists of WORDS,
CONVERSATION, and SPEAKING
PLOT and CHARACTERIZATION are
revealed mostly through DIALOGUE
Elements of Drama
ACTS/SCENES
While books are divided into chapters, plays
are divided into ACTS which are divided
into SCENES. A new act or scene is
indicative of a CHANGE IN LOCATION
or the PASSAGE OF TIME.
Elements of Drama
SETTING
The SETTING is usually identified at the
beginning of the play after the cast of characters.
Setting can also be seen in the stage directions
throughout the play, if it changes.
Elements of Drama
PLOT
The PLOT is the heart of the drama. It is
the series of related events in which a problem,
or conflict, is explored and then resolved. The
conflict may be between people (external) or ideas
(internal). There will often be sub-plots which
contrast or add interest to the chief plot.
Elements of Drama
FIVE ELEMENTS OF PLOT
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Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Elements of Drama
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION consists of early material
providing the theme, establishing the setting, and
introducing the major characters and sometimes
early hints of the coming conflict.
Elements of Drama
RISING ACTION
RISING ACTION is an increase in tension or
uncertainty developing out of the conflict the
protagonist faces.
Elements of Drama
CLIMAX
The CLIMAX is the moment of greatest
tension, uncertainty, or audience involvement. It is
traditionally situated in the third act of a play.
The climax may also be called the crisis.
Elements of Drama
FALLING ACTION
During the FALLING ACTION, the earlier
tragic force causes the failing fortune of the
hero. This culminates in the final catastrophe
and invokes catharsis (emotional cleansing or
release of tension and anxiety) in the
audience.
Elements of Drama
RESOLUTION
The RESOLUTION (denouement) consists
of a series of events that follow the climax
and falling action, thus serving as the
conclusion of the story. Conflicts are resolved,
creating normality for the characters and a
sense of catharsis, or release of tension and
anxiety, for the reader.
Drama Terminology
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6.
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9.
Act: a division within a play, much like chapters of a novel
Allusion: a reference in one work of literature to a person, place, or event
in another work of literature or in history, art, or music.
Analogy: an extended comparison showing the similarities between two
things
Antagonist: the character or force that works against the protagonist;
introduces the conflict
Aside: lines that are spoken by a character, directly to the audience
Blank Verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter
Characterization: the personality a character displys; also, the means by
which the author reveals that personality
Climax: the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense in a
narrative
Comedy: a humorous work or drama
Drama Terminology
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Couplet: two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Conflict: a struggle (between two opposing forces or characters)
Dialogue: conversation between two or more characters
Drama: a work of literature designed to be performed in front of an
audience. Can be a comedy, a tragedy, or a history.
Dramatic Irony: when the audience or reader knows something that the
characters in the story do not know
Epithet: a descriptive adjective or phrase used to characterize someone or
something
Figurative Language: language that is NOT intended to be interpreted in a
literal sense
Foil: a character who sets off another character by contrast
Foreshadowing: the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what
action is to come
Drama Terminology
19. Iambic Meter: unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
20. Iambic Pentameter: a line of poetry that contains 5 iambs (feet) of
two syllables each (10 syllables per line). Each iamb has an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
21. Imagery: language that appeals to any sense or any combination of
the senses
22. Irony: literary technique that portrays differences between
appearance and reality (dramatic, situational, verbal)
23. Metaphor: comparison between two unlike things with the intent of
giving added meaning to one of them without using like or as
24. Monologue: a long speech spoken by a character to himself, to
another character, or to the audience
25. Motivation: a reason that explains or partially explains why a
character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way (personality +
situation = motivation)
Drama Terminology
26. Oxymoron: a figure of speech that combines apparently contradictory
terms (sweet sorrow, loving hate)
27. Personification: a figure of speech in which an animal, object,
natural force, or idea is given a personality and described as human
28. Protagonist: the main character in a play or story
29.Pun: the humorous use of a word or phrase to suggest two or more
meanings at the same time
30.Scene: a division of an act into smaller parts
31.Simile: a comparison made between two dissimilar things through the
use of a specific word of comparison such as like and as
32.Situational Irony: a contrast between what is expected and what really
happens
33.Soliloquy: thoughts spoken aloud by a character when he/she is alone,
or thinks he/she is alone
Drama Terminology
34. Sonnet: a 14 line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter
which has one of several rhyme schemes. A sonnet form used by
Shakespeare is called the Shakespearean sonnet. It has 14 lines with
approximately 10 syllables per line. The last two lines rhyme and are
called a couplet. Each line is written in iambic pentameter. The most
common rhyme scheme for the Sheakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef
gg
35. Stage Directions: italicized comments that identify parts of the
setting, give further information about a character or the use of
props or costumes, or provide background information
36. Theme: the central idea of a work of literature
37. Tragedy: a serious work of drama in which the hero suffers
catastrophe or serious misfortune, usually because of his own
actions
38. Verbal Irony: a contrast between what is said and what is meant