• It is a genre of literature that is meant to
be performed/acted.
• In a drama, dialogue and action work
together to develop characters and tell a
story
Terms page 526

 Playwright/ Dramatist – the author
 Script – written version of the play
 Dialogue – words spoken by the characters
 Stage directions – instructions on how the play is to be
performed
 Setting
 Characters
 Conflict
 Climax
 Resolution
Types of Drama page 527

Two general categories: Comedy and Tragedy
Light/dark subject Powerful lesson on human
nature
Everyday characters
Amusing situations Main character is heroic
Main character has a tragic
Humorous tone
flaw, that brings death or
Ends happily
downfall
Comic relief – scene/ incident
that breaks from the serious
events of the play
Analyzing Dramatic
Elements

Conflict
Dialogue
Stage Directions
Action and Conflict

Conflict is faced by the
characters.
The conflict/ struggle between
opposing forces drive the action.
External &Internal Conflict

External conflict involves a
character confronting an outside
force; enemy, nature, or society.
Internal conflict is a struggle that
occurs within a character
involving the character’s feelings,
beliefs, and values.
External or Internal Conflict

Two young people fall in love,
but their parents won’t let
them meet.
External or Internal Conflict

A young prince struggles to
decide if he should avenge his
father’s murder.
External or Internal Conflict

An old king wanders through
a fierce storm in search of
shelter.
Dialogue and Character

To show a character’s personality
To express a character’s thoughts
and feelings about events and
other characters
Character Motivation

The reasons why a character feels
or behaves in a certain way
Examples
Character Motivation
Anna likes Max, a new
boy at school, and
wants to meet him.
Resulting Action

Anna’s friend Jenna is
having a party. At
Anna’s request, Jenna
invites both Anna and
Max to the party.
A man must get on the The man sleeps at the
last train out of his war- station the night before
torn country.
to guarantee his spot on
the train.
Cause-and-Effect

Character motivation typically sets
up a cause-and-effect relationship
between events in a play.
Example:
Anna’s desire to meet the new boy
causes her to ask Jenna to invite them
both. The resulting action is the effect.
Complex Characters

Display strength and weaknesses
Well-rounded; a range of emotions
and traits
Have multiple motivations
Dramatic Irony

Audience or reader knows more than
the characters know (situation)
Creates humor or suspense
Dramatic Irony- Example

Situation: The audience knows a character works on a
farm, while the other characters in the play think she is
a “queen”.
Dramatic Irony: The other characters ask the “queen” to
punish the farm worker; the audience knows the
“queen” and the farm worker are the same person.
Possibility 1: The character puts on a disguise during a
scene in which the other characters are not present.
Possibility 2: The character reveals she is in disguise by
delivering a speech called an aside. An aside can be
heard by the audience but not by the other characters.
Point of View

Point of view of the
audience is very different
from the points of view of
the characters when
dramatic irony is used by
the playwright
Theme in a Drama

As the characters face conflicts
and undergo change, their
attitudes and actions deliver
important messages about life
(THEME).
How to identify the theme?

How have events caused the
characters to change?
Do events in the play remind me of
my own experiences? If so, what did
those experiences teach me?
What might have been the
playwright’s purpose for writing the
play?