Transcript Literary Analysis

Unit 7: Postwar Era
Drama
Drama, instead of telling us the
whole of a man’s life, must
place him in such a situation, tie
such a knot, that when it is
untied, the whole man is visible.
—Leo Tolstoy
What is drama?
• Drama is a story told through characters
played by actors.
• A script is the written form of a drama.
Who are your
favorite dramatists?
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William Shakespeare
August Wilson
Lorraine Hansberry
Arthur Miller
Henrik Ibsen
Eugene O’Neill
Oscar Wilde
Wendy Wasserstein
What are the purposes
of drama?
• Drama can
– entertain viewers
– enlighten viewers by sharing the human condition
or experience
– help viewers gain insight into themselves and
others
– teach viewers empathy
– allow viewers to explore other visions of the world
Types of Drama
• Most dramas can be categorized as either
comedy or tragedy.
– These classifications date back to the 5th century
BCE in Greece.
• However, the distinctions between these two
types of drama have
changed since earlier
times.
Ancient Greek Comedies
• Ancient Greek comedies were satires that
mocked public figures for their foolish ways in
solving problems.
– Actors portrayed these figures as buffoons.
• Public institutions and stereotypes were also
made into objects of ridicule.
– This was done through the
recitation of dialogue and the
singing of bawdy songs.
Contemporary Comedies
• Today, the term comedy refers to any
lighthearted or humorous literary work.
• Contemporary stage comedies have
leading characters whose foolish
actions in solving problems lead to
humorous situations.
• Typically, contemporary comedies
happy endings.
have
Ancient Greek Tragedies
• Ancient Greek tragedies were stories about the
fall of strong individuals of high status, either
by their own undoing or by the hand of Fate.
• This tragic fall led to the ruination of some
aspect of the noble individual’s life, such as
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the tarnishing of virtuous character
the fracturing of relationships
the lowering of social status
the sealing of fate
Contemporary Tragedies
• Today, the term tragedy describes both
– a play about the downfall of a sympathetic
character, or protagonist,
and
– a story with an unhappy ending
• Contemporary stage tragedies have leading
characters that represent common individuals.
– Their weaknesses, or tragic flaws, become
apparent as the drama unfolds.
Mixed Types of Drama
• Other types of drama blur the lines between
tragedy and comedy, including
– Theater of the Absurd, in which characters are
unpredictable, situations are improbable or
meaningless, and dialogue is filled with wordplay
– melodramas, in which characters triumph over
serious or tragic circumstances in their lives
– tragi-comedies, in which the dialogue and actions
of characters provide insights into complicated
issues, such as love, relationships, or death
Elements of Drama
• A play contains many of the same elements as
a work of fiction, including character, theme,
and plot.
• An author of a work of fiction can write long
and detailed descriptions of these elements.
• However, a playwright—an author of a play—
must describe these elements solely through
the dialogue and actions of the characters.
Elements of Drama
• Another difference between a play and a work
of fiction is the element of spectacle.
• Spectacle is the visual portrayal of meaning.
• To achieve spectacle, drama features unique
elements, such as
– lighting and costumes
– set design and props
– music and sound effects
Dramatic Structure
• Like authors of fiction, playwrights create
characters, setting, and plot structure for their
works.
• However, playwrights organize these elements
differently.
• While stories are divided into paragraphs and
chapters, plays are divided into
parts unique to drama: acts and
scenes.
Acts and Scenes
• Acts are the major divisions of a play.
• Acts are often divided into scenes, or shorter
sections that usually mark changes of time and
place.
PROGRAM
ACT I
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
ACT II
Stage Directions
• Because every aspect of a drama is conveyed
through performance, playwrights include
stage directions in their scripts.
• Stage directions are notes that describe how
something should be performed on stage.
Stage Directions
• Stage directions include notes on
– the setting of the play, or the time and place in
which it occurs
– the staging of the play (set design, lighting,
costumes, music)
– how actors should deliver their lines
– the physical traits of the characters
– the action of the play, or how
characters should move and behave
Dramatic Characters
• A character is an individual who takes part in
the action of a literary work.
• Characters in a drama can be classified as
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major or minor characters
protagonists or antagonists
round or flat characters
static or dynamic characters
Major Characters
• Major characters
– play important roles in the plot of a drama
– are multi-faceted or round characters
– are dynamic characters who undergo some type of
change during the course of a drama
Protagonist and Antagonist
• Major characters can be classified as
protagonists or antagonists.
• The protagonist has the central role in a
dramatic script.
• The antagonist works against the protagonist,
and this friction or tension
creates the conflict in the
story line.
Minor Characters
• Minor characters
– play lesser roles in a drama
– are flat characters who lack complexity
– are static characters who typically remain
unchanged throughout a play
Foils
• A foil is a minor character whose traits contrast
with, and therefore highlight, those of another
character.
• In The Crucible, Reverend Hale is a foil to
John Proctor.
• What other characters serve
as foils in The Crucible?
Dramatic Speech
• In a play, dramatic speech helps to reveal a
character’s thoughts and motivations.
• There are four types of dramatic speech that
playwrights use in their scripts:
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dialogue
monologue
soliloquy
aside
Dialogue
• A dialogue is a conversation between two or
more characters.
• Dialogue can reveal a character’s
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age
personality and mood
ethnic background
educational level
geographical roots
relationships and their status
motivations and aspirations
Dialogue
• In this dialogue excerpt from Act 1 of The
Crucible, the true nature of Abigail and John
Proctor’s relationship is revealed.
ABIGAIL: Give me a word, John. A soft word.
Her concentrated desire destroys his smile.
PROCTOR: No, no, Abby. That’s done with.
ABIGAIL, tauntingly: You come five mile to see a silly girl fly? I
know you better.
PROCTOR, setting her firmly out of his path: I come to see what
mischief your uncle’s brewin’ now. Put it out of mind, Abby.
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
Dialogue and Theme
• Besides establishing characterization, dialogue
can also hint at the theme and tone of a drama.
• Theme is the central idea or perception about
life that is revealed through a literary work.
• Tone is the emotional attitude toward the
reader or toward the subject implied by a
literary work.
Monologue
• Another type of dramatic speech is a
monologue—a long speech made by one
character.
• This type of speech is an expression of a
character’s thoughts or feelings regarding
another character or situation.
• A monologue typically can be heard by other
characters on stage.
Monologue
• In her monologue in Act 1, Abigail commands
Mary and Betty to keep their activities a secret.
ABIGAIL: Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba
conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark
this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about
the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some
terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder
you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear
parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some
reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had
never seen the sun go down!...
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
What is the purpose and tone of Abigail’s
monologue on the previous slide?
What is revealed about Abigail in this
monologue?
Soliloquy
• Soliloquy is another type of dramatic speech.
• A soliloquy is a speech that reveals a
character’s true thoughts and feelings.
• A soliloquy is delivered when the
character is alone on stage.
• Typically, a soliloquy offers an
intimate
glimpse into a character’s
emotions or mind-set.
Soliloquy
• John Proctor’s lines at the end of Act 2 can be
considered a soliloquy.
PROCTOR: …half to himself, staring, and turning to the open
door: Peace. It is a providence, and no great change; we are only
what we always were, but naked now. He walks as though toward
a great horror, facing the open sky. Aye, naked! And the wind,
God’s icy wind, will blow!
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
What is the purpose and tone of Proctor’s
soliloquy on the previous slide?
What is revealed about Proctor in this soliloquy?
Aside
• An aside is another type of dramatic speech.
• In an aside, a character reveals to the audience
his or her innermost thoughts and feelings
about a topic.
• This technique allows the audience—and no
other characters on stage—to hear the
character’s desires and motivations.
Aside
• Elizabeth Proctor delivers an aside in Act 4—
the last line of the play.
ELIZABETH, supporting herself against collapse, grips the bars
of the window, and with a cry: He have his goodness now. God
forbid I take it from him!
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
Verbal Irony
• Dramatic speech may also include the use of
verbal irony.
• Verbal irony is when a character says one thing
but means another.
• Verbal irony is similar to sarcasm.
• What examples of verbal irony
can you find in The Crucible?
Dramatic Irony
• Dramatic irony is when something is known
by the reader or the audience but is not known
by the characters.
• Why is the following excerpt from Act 3
considered an example of dramatic irony?
PROCTOR, as he takes out several papers: I am no lawyer, so
I’ll—
DANFORTH: The pure in heart need no lawyers. Proceed as you
will.
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
Irony of Situation
• Irony of situation is when an event occurs that
violates the expectations of the characters, the
reader, or the audience.
Irony of Situation
• Why are Judge Danforth’s statements in this
excerpt from Act 3 considered to be an
example of situational irony?
DANFORTH: …Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?
FRANCIS: I surely do, sir, and I think you must be a wise judge to
be what you are.
DANFORTH: And do you know that near to four hundred are in
the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?
FRANCIS: I—
DANFORTH: And seventy-two condemned to hang by that
signature?
—from The Crucible,
by Arthur Miller
SUMMARY: Drama
• To gain a better understanding of drama, ask
yourself the following questions:
– How does the plot structure lend itself to the
content and theme of the drama?
– What do the stage directions reveal about the
staging of the drama?
– What are the individual roles of the dramatic
characters? What are their objectives and motives?
– How does the dramatic speech develop the
characters and advance the plot?