Today, in English…

•Introduction to Elements of Drama

HW: none

Day 9 – 12/2Answer the following questions in complete

sentences.

1.A claim is not one word. What is a claim?2.List 3 transitional words or phrases.3.What is one thing you learned in the Art of

Persuasion unit that will help you ace the SOL?

Power-Up!

A drama is a story enacted onstage for a live audience.

What Is Drama?

Dramatic conventions are terms that are recognized as familiar techniques like acts and scenes.

Act: the main division of a full-length play

Scene: subdivisions in a play; a scene changes when the location changes or a new character is introduced.

Dramatic Conventions

A tragedy depicts the events that lead to the downfall and suffering of the protagonists; usually ends with death of main character.

right and wrong

justice and injustice

life and death

Tragedy

• Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as

The protagonist of most classical tragedies is a tragic hero. This hero

• is noble and in many ways admirable

• has a tragic flaw, a personal failing that leads to a tragic end

rebelliousness

jealousy

pride

Tragedy

A comedy is a type of drama that has a happy ending, usually emphasizing human limitations rather than greatness.

boy meets girl boy loses girl boy wins girl

Comedy

• In most cases, the play ends with a wedding.

The main characters in a comedy could be anyone:

nobility servantstownspeople

Comedy

• Comic relief is a scene or event meant to relieve the tension after a serious or grief-filled scene.

Comedy

• A Foil Character contrasts with another character in order to highlight qualities of the other character. (i.e. Romeo/Mercutio, Batman/Joker)

Quick Check How can you tell this play is a comedy? What is the most likely outcome?

Comedy

MABEL CHILTERN. How horrid you have been! You have never talked to me the whole evening! LORD GORING. How could I? You went away with the child-diplomatist.

MABEL CHILTERN. You might have followed us. Pursuit would have been only polite. I don't think I like you at all this evening!

LORD GORING. I like you immensely. from An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

When you read a play, remember that it is meant to be performed for an audience.

Stage Directions

Playwright describes setting and characters’ actions and manner.

[Wyona is sitting on the couch. She sees Paul and jumps to her feet.]Wyona. [Angrily.] What do you want?

Performance of a Play

Performance

• Theater artists bring the playwright’s vision to life on the stage.

• The audience responds to the play and shares the experience.

Scene design transforms a bare stage into the world of the play. Scene design consists of

• props

• sets

• costumes

• lighting

Setting the Stage

Staging is the way a play is presented or brought to life.

A stage’s set might be

realistic and detailed

Setting the Stage

abstract and minimal

The characters’ speech may take any of the following forms.

Dialogue: conversations of characters onstage

Monologue: long speech given by one character to others

Soliloquy: speech by a character alone onstage to himself or herself or to the audience

Asides: remarks made to the audience or to one character; the other characters onstage do not hear an aside

The Characters

In addition to dialogue, monologues, soliloquies, and aside, there are two speeches unique to drama.

PLAY

EpilogueA narrative or speech at the end of a literary work detailing the fate of its characters spoken directly to the audience.

Prologue/Chorusan introductory passage or speech before the main action of the play detailing the fate of its character

Important Speeches

What are the stage directions in this passage?

What does the characters’ dialogue tell you about them?

The Characters

Quick CheckLIZA. No: I dont want no gold and no diamonds. I'm a good girl, I am. [She sits down again, with an attempt at dignity].   

HIGGINS. You shall remain so, Eliza, under the care of Mrs. Pearce. And you shall marry an officer in the Guards, with a beautiful moustache: the son of a marquis, who will disinherit him for marrying you, but will relent when he sees your beauty and goodness—

from Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw

[End of Section]

The Brute by Anton Chekhov Putting the Elements of Drama into context...

Page 852 As we read, focus on

identifying Elements of Drama, characteristics of comedy, and making predictions.

Today, in English…

•The Elements of Drama•Preview “The Brute”

HW: none