Drama Handout

Hand Out 3

PLOT

“Plot” is the central aspect of all drama, for drama is primarily concerned with what happens. Plot is basically another term for structure, the difference being that when we discuss plot be more or less are committed to discussing everything that happens in the play. A play is composed of a series of incidents of episodes which follow after one another according to some plan of the playwright; every incident is connected-often in every subtle way- to incidents which follows.“(Reaske, 1966, p. 65).

“Any plot of a dramatic work necessarily has to do with conflict. Throughout the play there are repeating challenges of one other by another……. A plot presents incidents in which opposite forces meet head-on until there is some sort of final resolution (catastrophe). Perhaps the most important aspect of plot is the relationship to character. Everything in the plot that is, every incident-is introduced because of the particular feelings of a particular character at a particular time. There is nothing in the play which is not a product of character motivation. What plot does, then, is translate the essence of the characters’ atleas into appropriate actions. Plot informs us as to what the characters are like. Thus while we talk about the structure of a play in terms of artistic development and relationship of parts, we also need to refer specifically to the plot, to the actions which, in effect, delineate the characters. All of the actions arise out of the characters. “ ( Reaske, 1966, p. 36)

Plot as Conflict

“Keeping in mind that fictional elements are closely related ( a man is what he does, and does what he is), let us consider what we mean by plot. Sometimes the word is used loosely to mean simply what happens in a story. ‘Tell me the plot,’ we say, and what we may get is detailed particularized recital of events in the story-really a resume of the action, or a summary. Or if our informer is experienced, he may give us a succeed, generalized account (an epitome) that presents the gist (the sense of the word, especially if the gist is seen to involve a conflict, for by plot in literary discussion we usually mean a pattern of actions involving conflict.” (Dickinson,1958, P.18)

Literature:

Dickinson, Leon T., A Guide To Literary Study, New York, Rinehart and Co., Inc., 1959.

Reaske, Christoper Russell, How To Analyze Drama, New York, Monarch Press, 1966.


CHARACTERS

“As we have noted, there is no narration or description in drama, instead, all characterization must be presented through dialogue; characters speak about each other and characters speak about themselves-particularly of course about the central emotions, such as love and hate. The combinations of speeches and actions throughout a play, the small asides and jokes, the short angry speeches, the lengthy diatribes (discussions), all add up to produce in our minds an understanding of the characters in a drama as people who might really exist.”

A. CHARACTERS IN ACTION

A. How do they behave in different situation?
B. How do they differ from one another in their behavior when sharing the same situation?
C. How is their action made logical by what we know of their thoughts and motives?
D. How does the action translate into theme?

B. MOTIVATION

Most plays have central motives and in general these are the giant human emotions which motivate most people in real life; a few of the most common are:

a. Hope for reward: A major character desires to bring happiness and prosperity to himself or to those whom he loves; all of his actions are planned to hasten the advent of prosperity.
b. Love : It is an extension of the hope for reward. A character is motivated to certain action because of the love which he has, the love which he wants, or the love which someone has for him.
c. Fear of Failure: This is an inversion of the hope of reward. A character works in a certain fashion because he fears that he will be crushed if he does not.
d. Religious feelings: Occasionally, but not frequently, we discover a character who is motivated by religious faith. The character acts out of deep feelings and convictions that he is acting as God so directs.
e. Revenge: Both minor and major characters are motivated by the desire to avenge the death of a loved friend or relative. The character usually is willing to lose his own life if necessary, as long as he is able to murder someone who has wronged him.
f. Greed: This is a particular kind of motivation in the category of “hope for reward,” which becomes an outstanding motive in its own right in many plays.
g. Jealousy: In this case connecting to both love and the fear of failure, jealousy operates as one of the most particular and strongest motives in all drama. Jealousy is sometimes simply defined as human envy, other times as over-whelmingly bitter hate.

C. THE ROUNDED PERSONALITY

Characters come to us as complex human personalities with many facets. We should try to arrive at an understanding of characters as complicated human beings with patterns of motivation rather than single motives.

D. CHARICATURE

In fiction we speak of a “caricature” when a character’s outstanding trait becomes so outstanding that it becomes unbelievable. In drama we generally refer to this kind of character as a type.

E. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE CHARACTER

Some characters in plays do not change; they begin as the some kinds of characters as they are in the end. These are the passive characters, they are static. On the other hand, some characters are active and they are considered dynamic.

F. CHARACTERS DETERMINING PLOT

Plot is developed out of the characters themselves. Things happen because the caracters act in accord with their feelings. Its complications and simplications is motored by the natures of the characters.

G. NUMBER OF CHARACTER

Make a list of characters, count them, and group them into major and minor characters, then into men and women. Usually imbalances can be explained.

H. THE BASIC CHARACTER ROLES
a.Protagonist
b.Antagonist
c Antagonistic force
d. Confidant (e)
:
I. THE CHARACTERS IN TIME

The characters must somehow be brought to be the images; of real human beings existing in time. They have a past; they are not born in the moment of the play’s opening. And in the extent to which the dramatist has successfully given us the sense of the character in time. And this of course will be accomplished by considering the device of characterization which the playwright has used.
J. DEVICES OF CHARACTERIZATION

a. The appearance of the character
b. Asides and soliloquies
c. Dialogue between characters
d. Hidden narration
e.Language
f. Character in action

K. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARACTERS
a.What is the character like in the beginning of the play?
b. Why does he act in the way he does at major turning points in the play?
c. What is he like at the end of the play, or if he dies, at the time of hid death?

L. THE CHARACTER’S RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER CHARACTERS

Their development is based on the changing nature of his relationship with other characters.