Script Analysis Midterm

Play Analysis

purposeful, systematic, interpretive reading

Dramatic Writing

any writing that is meant to be seen and not read

Script

written form of a dramatic medium

Stage Directions/Written Action

written visualization or instructions for performance of the script

Characters

agents of the plot

Static Character

no change/development

Dynamic Character

changes and evolves over the course of the play

Dialogue

words spoken by characters

Act

set performance meant to be enjoyed in one sitting

Scene

sequences of continued action

Conflict

 a clash between opposing forces

Interpretation

the process of developing an idea or thought in detail

Analysis

process of identifying separate elements of a play

Synthesis

coherent combination of analysis and interpretation

Comedy

entertainment consisting of jokes intended to make an audience laugh, for ancient Greeks and Romans a comedy was a stage-play with a happy ending

Tragedy

a serious play, or drama, typically dealing with the problems of a central character, leading to an unhappy or disastrous ending brought on, as in ancient drama, by fate and a tragic flaw in this character, or, in modern drama, usually by moral weakness, psychological maladjustment, or social pressure

Drama (term)

an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances

To be Dramatic…

conflict must exist between opposed forces represented by characters whose goals and motives are so sufficiently opposed that one of them cannot achieve their objective without the other failing to achieve theirs

Person vs. Person

conflict between characters of similar circumstance

Person vs. Society

conflict between character and a larger group

Person vs. Nature

conflict between character and god(s)/nature

Person vs. Technology

conflict between characters and the future

Person vs. fate/Beliefs

 conflict between characters and their fate or faith

Person vs. Self

conflict between character and themself

Protagonist

the character whose motives and actions drive the play’s conflict from the beginning to the resolution

Stasis

point from which everything would stay the same if nothing came along to change it

Intrusion

the moment that comes along and changes things

Exposition

the start of the story, the situation before the inciting incident

Inciting Incident

moment where the plot/conflict begins

Rising Action

the series of conflicts and crisis in a story that lead to the climax

Climax

the moment when the conflict is resolved

Falling Action

all of the action which follows the climax

Resolution

the conclusion, the tying together of all the threads

Major Dramatic Question

the question that has to be pursued throughout the play and is answered at the climax

Given Circumstances

the information that informs the character’s environment

Backstory

events and relationships that existed prior to the start of the play

Setting

play’s time and place, historical period

Social Systems

political, economic, and religious relationships with the citizens of a time or place

Cultural Factors

individual’s attitude toward social systems, similar to social systems, but on an individual level

Stated Circumstances

explicitly stated circumstances

Implied Circumstances

circumstances due to the setting, social systems, or cultural factors of the play, never explicitly stated

Playwright’s Intent

Reasoning behind the playwright’s decisions for the play

Theatrical Contracts

informal (usually unspoken) understanding agreement between a theatrical production and its audience

Convention

a technique or literary device shared by a majority of plays in a period

Contract

technique or literary device specific to the individual play

Realistic

play attempts to appear realistically

Nonrealistic

contains production elements that do not appear realistic, but are treated reality to the characters on stage

Presentational

can address the audience directly

Representational

the world of the play is treated separately from the reality of the audience

Soliloquy

character alone addresses the audience

Aside

characters turn away from each other to address the audience

Fourth Wall

the imaginary wall that the audience views the action through

Verisimilitude

the appearance of being real

Abstraction

the heightening or distortion of an element

Catharsis

purging of emotions due to the resolution of a story (happens in small situations too, not just the final resolution of the story)

Hamartia

a fatal flaw or choice made by a hero that causes them to fail

Peripeteia/Reversal

a reversal of circumstances or fortunes

Anagnorisis

a critical discovery of circumstances

Mimesis

imitation or representation of life within art

Tactics

strategies that characters use to get what they want from others

Six Elements of Drama

Plot, Characters, Diction, Music, Thought, Spectacle

Plot

the events of the story

Three Unities

Time (take place in one day), Place (take place in one location), Action (all action must be complete and have no loose ends)

Character

agents of the plot, provide motivations for the events of the story

Thought

the moral purpose, theme

Diction

the expression of thought in words

Music

Old: the literal song and dance aspect of a play

New: the tone or rhythm of a play

Spectacle

everything that is seen or heard on stage