The Prince and the Pauper
By Mark Twain
Dramatized by Joellen Bland
Mark Twain (1835-1910)wrote
much about his boyhood
adventures in such books as Tom
Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. This
story, however, was set in England
in 1547 because the English really
enjoyed his stories.
Note: This play was created from a novel, but it is
based upon the life of Prince Edward of England who
became King Edward the VI.
Drama terms:
•Comedy: a dramatic work that is often
humorous; it usually ends happily with a
peaceful resolution of the conflict
•Tragedy: a dramatic work that presents the
downfall of a character or characters. The events
in a tragic plot are set in motion by a decision
that is often an error in judgment on the part of
the hero. Events are linked in a cause and effect
relationship and lead to a disastrous conclusion,
usually death.
•History: a play based upon an actual historical
event
More Drama Terms
•Protagonist: the main character or characters
•Antagonist: the character that goes against the protagonist.
Theater Terms
•Stage Right: to the actor’s right as he or she faces the audience
•Stage Left: to the actor’s left as he or she faces the audience
•Stage Directions: the instructions to the actors, director, and
stage crew in the script of a play (may be about scenery, lighting,
sound effects, and ways for actors to move and speak); these
directions often appear in parentheses and in italic type
•Acts/scenes: divisions in a play which present an episode of the
play’s plot (The Prince and the Pauper has eight scenes.)
Freytag’s Pyramid
•Exposition: Provides the background information needed to
properly understand the story
•Rising Action: the introduction of the problem of the play
and of the primary characters in the play
•Climax (Turning Point): A character makes a decision which
will either resolve the conflict (comedy) or determine its
failure (tragedy)
•Falling Action: the solving of a problem in a comedy or the
attempts that show the failure to solve the problem in a
tragedy
•Denouement: the closure of the drama with harmony in
comedy or with the severe suffering or death of the
protagonist in a tragedy.