Elements of Drama
and Fiction
Handout and
Activity
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Standards Focus: Elements of Drama and Fiction
All drama includes a setting, plot, characters, conflict, and at least one theme. Though
modern audiences tend to consider drama and comedy as complete opposites, there are
really two main forms of drama: comedy and tragedy.
Drama is meant to be performed, rather than just read, which can sometimes be a point of
frustration for students as they try to read a play. It is helpful when reading Shakespeare,
or any other playwright, to keep in mind that the story is meant to come to life through live
performance, so it is important that you try to really envision it as you read. It is also
helpful to know a few terms when reading in order to better understand the work. The
following are terms that you will need to know when reading a drama.
1. Drama: Drama, as far as we know, originated with ancient Greek plays. It is a form of
literature written for performance. Drama’s two main forms are tragedy and comedy,
but other forms include history and romance.
2. Comedy: Comedy is a story that ends happily. It usually involves common people
(rather than the kings and other royalty you might see in a tragedy) and often has
humorous scenes and situations. It is important to remember, however, that comedy
does not always mean “funny.” In fact, comedies often deal with very serious subjects,
viewed through a brighter lens, and though humor usually plays a large part, the story
can involve serious and/or sad situations.
3. Character: At the beginning of every drama we are given a list of characters, called a
Cast of Characters. A character is a person who appears in the work and takes part in
the drama. The list includes characters around whom the story revolves as well as any
person who appears on stage or whose voice is heard (some characters appear on stage
but never speak, and some characters are heard, but are never seen on stage). There are
usually several characters in any drama and this usually includes at least one protagonist
and one antagonist.
4. Protagonist(s): The protagonist is the character or characters (in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream, for example, there is actually more than one protagonist) around whom
the story revolves; they are the main or most important characters. It is usually the
person the audience most relates to and who they want to see succeed. We tend to think
of the protagonist as the good guy, because they usually are, but the protagonist can
actually be either good or bad.
5. Antagonist: The antagonist is another major character in the play whose ideas and/or
values conflict with those of the protagonist. Again, the tendency is to think of the
antagonist as the “bad guy,” but this is not always the case. The main antagonist in A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, though he is not really likable, is not really bad—his ideas
just conflict with those of our protagonists.
6. Setting: The setting of a story is the place in which the action occurs. It is important to
note that place includes time period, time of day, whether it is indoors or outdoors, and
what the weather is like; in essence, setting is everything that creates the environment in
which the characters exist.
7. Plot: The plot is the actual story that moves the drama along. It is the sequence of
events that the characters bring to life.
Standards Focus: Elements of Drama and Fiction
8. Conflict: Conflict is the point of tension between characters that moves the story
forward. The conflict can be between two characters, what is sometimes called man
versus man, between a character and their surroundings, either called man versus
society or man versus nature, depending on which is more appropriate, or it can be an
internal struggle of a character, called man versus self.
9. Theme: Theme is the main idea the writer is trying to convey. It is sometimes called
the main idea. Usually a theme can be expressed in a single, generalized statement.
10. Act: An act is a division of a play much like a chapter is a division within a novel.
11. Scene: A scene is a further division within an act.
12. Dialogue: A dialogue is a conversion between two or more characters.
13. Monologue: A monologue is a speech given by one character to another or by a
character to an audience.
14. Soliloquy: A soliloquy is when a character voices their thoughts out loud when they are
alone or when they think that they are alone. This helps the audience to know what is
going on in the character’s mind.
15. Aside: Words spoken by a character directly to the audience, usually to help give the
audience further information.
16. Dramatic Irony: Dramatic irony is a situation in the story in which the audience
knows something that the characters do not know.
17. Foil: A foil is a character who is almost exactly the opposite of another character, used to
make a comparison.
18. Double Entendre: A double entendre is a word or phrase with more than one
meaning. For example, in the title of the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” by
Richard Connell, the word game may refer to the prey being hunted or it may refer to
the act of hunting.
19. Pun: A play on words, especially those that sound alike, but have different meanings.
For example, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bottom says odious when he means
odorous, a mistake that adds to the ridiculousness of his character.
20. Iambic Pentameter: Iambic pentameter is a form of poetry that has lines with five
iambs of two syllables each.
21. Iamb: A unit in poetry consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable
Comprehension Check: Elements of Drama and Fiction
Complete the following worksheet based on the information given in the Elements
of Fiction handout.
Plot Structure in Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is a story most of us know that follows the basic structure of
plot very well. Answer the questions that follow in order to strengthen your skills in plot
analysis. Using what you know about the story of Little Red Riding Hood, answer the
following questions.
1. Who are the main characters in the story?
2. Who is the protagonist?
3. Who is the antagonist?
4. Write, in your own words, the basic plot or series of events of the story:
5. What is the conflict in this story? Is it man versus man, man versus nature, man versus
society, or man versus self? How did you come to this conclusion? What are the details
of the conflict? (Note: man refers to the protagonist, either male or female.)
6. What is the theme of the story (make sure to make this a general and not a specific
statement)?
7. Is Little Red Riding Hood a comedy or a tragedy? How do you know? Think about all
the fairy tales you know. In general are they tragedies or comedies? Why do you think
that is?
Although this is activity is based on a very simple story and is not a drama, the
structure applies to just about every story you will ever read. Keep plot structure in
mind as you read A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Answer Key
Page 10: Comprehension Check: Elements of Drama and Fiction
1. Little Red, the Wolf, Grandmother, and the Huntsman
2. Little Red
3. The Wolf
4. Student should summarize the story in their own words.
5. The student may argue for any of the conflicts, so long as they are able to back up their argument
with reasonable ideas.
6. The theme should be in the students own words. Something having to do with the fact that one
must be vigilant when one is out in the world in order to not endanger oneself would be one of the
most acceptable answers. Students may have other ideas and should be able to back them up.
7. It is a comedy, it ends happily. In general, most fairy tales are comedies; the expected audience
for fairy tales consists of children, who usually are quicker to accept happy endings. Also, there is
usually a moral to the study, the good end happily, the bad unhappily. Students, of course, may
have other opinions.