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EARLY AMERICAN DRAMA

SEMESTER FOUR
(Tuesday, March 23rd 2010)

I. THE NATURE OF DRAMA

II. THE ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

a) Exposition

b) Discovery

The playwright provides some information to the audience. He must reveal

his character’s motivations and objectives, their relationships and feelings. The best
kind of discovery is that which comes from characters themselves. As the protagonist
discovers the truth, the audience shares the experience of his discovery.

c) The point of attack

Once the playwright provides sufficient background to hold the audience’s

attention, he sets (initiate) some events which constitute the main action of the play.
The point of attack refers to the moment in the play in which the precipitating force
sets the mechanism in motion when an inciting force triggers the course of the
action.

d) Foreshadowing

The playwright has to prepare the spectator for the future development.
He does this by foreshadowing, he should supply (some) clues that it inserts in every
parts of the play. He uses foreshadowing for several purposes:

- It is to make events believable

- It builds suspense and creates tension
- It helps in development of climaxes, crisis and complications.

e) Complication

The point of attack is the first complication. A complication is any new

force introduced in a play which affects the direction of the course of actions. Once
the playwright has selected his characters, determined his theme and planned the

Early American Drama – Course of Mr. BEGEDOU Komi – Semester 4

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beginning and end of the play. He constructs the plot through a series of
complications.

A critic, Kennet Macgawan, considers the complications so important

that he says they are “The life-blood of ninety-nine and ninety-ninth hundred per
cent (99,99%) of a play”.

f) Climax.

Early American Drama – Course of Mr. BEGEDOU Komi – Semester 4

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