ARISTOTLE’S ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

People Care That Dogs Make Spam

*PLOT—Shows the progression of events and enables the playwright to reveal character and ideas.  (It is the car)

*CHARACTER—The controlling force, both typical and individual. 

*THOUGHT – (Sometimes called theme) Both general and specific.  The story of an individual with universal appeal. 

*DIALOGUE – Speech, tempo of the scene.  It should suit the character and background. 

*MELODY – Flow of language, the emotional content. 

*SPECTACLE – Set.

Using vocal pitch, tempo, rhythm and emphasis to create

images in the mind of the listener.

IMPLICATIONS—Hints or suggestions that are deliberate though not openly stated. 

INFERENCES—Deduction of unknown from known information, that is deduced from literal facts and their implications.

Country, region or district.  Emotional associations evoked by geography can contribute strongly to the effect of a play, both for realism and for emotion responses. 

--Mercantilism—colonialism with state control of manufacturing and exports.

--Laissez-Faire—(to leave alone) Business is permitted to follow the unwritten natural laws of economics. 

--Capitalism—private property, profit and credit form the basis. 

--Socialism—Involves public ownership of manufacturing, services and natural resources. 

When the on-stage action begins in relation to the background story at one end and the climax at the other.

*It is either early or late. 

Contains little background story and a long stretch of on-stage dramatic time between the opening curtain and the main climax. 

*The dramatic action takes place over years or decades.  Think plays like: Pericles, The Diary of Anne Frank or Angels in America.

Contains a great deal of background story and a short amount of on-stage dramatic time between the opening curtain and the climax. 

*The dramatic action takes place over moments, hours, days, weeks or months.  Think plays like: Oedipus Rex, Romeo and Juliet, A Doll’s House and Raisin in the Sun.

The most important incident in the background story, one that so energizes the characters that it produces in them the conditions necessary for the play to take place. 

(ex: RAISIN—the death of Walter Sir.  R&J—the houses feuding)

When planned behavior encounters difficulties as it tries to reach its goal. 

Obstacles create the complication.  Complications are interpersonal.

A change in fortune. 

              Bad to Good

              Good to Bad involving a catastrophe or violence. 

All events leading up to the main climax.

Including: Point of Attack, Inciting Action, Complications, Obstacles, Crises and Climaxes. 

Often called a Denouement or Resolution

This includes all events following the Major/Main Climax. 

Named after a German critic who developed the tool.  The pyramid charts the scene or plays rising Action, Main climax, and falling action. 

Plays that may contain either a recognition or a reversal or maybe neither. 

1)   Should come from the character’s goals.

2)   Should be directed at the other characters (not self nor audience).

3)   Should describe the inner life of the character (not the physical nor outer life)

4)   Relate to the plays main idea

5)   Should be framed in the form of an active concrete verb. 

To strike together

*There are different forms

*Conflict between character and…

                                                                      -Environment (raisin)

                                                                      -Destiny

                                                                      -Nature

                                                                      -Ideas

Advances the plot using:

ASSERTIONS—The simplest statement of fact.  They identify people, places, things and events.  Sometimes characters deceive themselves or lie about themselves or events.  (Act 1 scene 1 in Raisin)

ACCUSATIONS—Composed of announcements, accusations and rhetorical questions.  (Walter and Benetha). 

PLANS—They are practical and economic way of advancing plot.  Discussion equals action.  (Lena)

COMMANDS- An urgent necessity, causing events that characters must carry out.  (Lena)