The Elements of Drama

Theme

The theme of a play refers to its central idea. It can either be clearly stated through dialogue

or action, or can be inferred after watching the entire performance. The theme is the

philosophy that forms the base of the story or a moral lesson that the characters learn. It is the

message that the play gives to the audience.

Plot

The order of events occurring in a play make its plot. Essentially, the plot is the story that the

play narrates. The entertainment value of a play depends largely on the sequence of events in

the story. The connection between the events and the characters in them form an integral part

of the plot. What the characters do, how they interact, the course of their lives as narrated by

the story, and what happens to them in the end, constitutes the plot

Characters

Each character in a play has a personality of his own and a set of principles and beliefs. The

main character in the play who the audience identifies with, is the protagonist. He/she

represents the theme of the play. The character that the protagonist conflicts with, is the

antagonist or villain. While some characters play an active role throughout the story, some

are only meant to take the story forward and some others appear only in certain parts of the

story and may or may not have a significant role in it. Sometimes, these characters are of help

in making the audiences focus on the play’s theme or main characters.

Dialogue

A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. The story of a play is taken

forward by means of dialogues. The story is narrated to the audiences through the interaction

between the play’s characters, which is in the form of dialogues. It is through the dialogues

between characters that the story can be understood.

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The time and place where a story is set is one of its important parts. The era or time in which

the incidents in the play take place, influence the characters in their appearance and

personalities. The historical and social context of the play is also defined by the time and

place where it is set. The time period and the location in which the story is set, affect the

play’s staging.

Performance

The impact that a story has on the audiences is largely affected by the performances of the

actors. When a written play is transformed into a stage performance, the actors cast for

different roles, the way they portray the characters assigned to them, and the way their

performances are directed are some important factors that determine the play’s impact. The

stage performances of a play’s characters, especially those in lead roles, directly affect the

success and popularity of a play.

Sir. Derek Walcott

Derek Walcott, in full Derek Alton Walcott, (born January 23, 1930, Castries, Saint Lucia—

died March 17, 2017, Cap Estate), West Indian poet and playwright noted for works that

explore the Caribbean cultural experience

Walcott was educated at St. Mary’s College in Saint Lucia and at the University of the West

Indies in Jamaica. He began writing poetry at an early age, taught at schools in Saint Lucia

and Grenada, and contributed articles and reviews to periodicals in Trinidad and Jamaica.

Productions of his plays began in Saint Lucia in 1950, and he studied theatre in New York

City in 1958–59. He lived thereafter in Trinidad and the United States. Walcott was best

known for his poetry, beginning with In a Green Night: Poems 1948–1960 (19620. The verse

in Selected Poems (1964), The Castaway (1965), and The Gulf (1969) is similarly lush in
style and incantatory in mood as Walcott expresses his feelings of personal isolation, caught

between his European cultural orientation and the black folk cultures of his native Caribbean.

Of Walcott’s approximately 30 plays, the best-known are Dream on Monkey Mountain

(produced 1967), a West Indian’s quest to claim his identity and his heritage; Ti-Jean and His

Brothers (1958), based on a West Indian folktale about brothers who seek to overpower the

Devil; and Pantomime (1978), an exploration of colonial relationships through the Robinson

Crusoe story. The Odyssey: A Stage Version appeared in 1993. Many of Walcott’s plays

make use of themes from black folk culture in the Caribbean.

West Indian Folklore

Our folklore is predominantly of African origin, flavoured with French and to a lesser degree,

Spanish and English influences. Religious or semi-religious cults of African origin have

undoubtedly contributed much to the region's folklore; many of the supernatural folklore

figures possess characteristics which are identical with those of African deities. Indeed, it is

extremely difficult to draw a dividing line between the strictly religious elements and what

may be described as "legendary traditions".

Colonialism

Colonialism is the policy of a country seeking to extend or retain its authority over other

people or territories generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of

colonisation, colonisers may impose their religion, economics, and other cultural practices on

indigenous peoples. The foreign invaders/interlopers rule the territory in pursuit of their

interests, seeking to benefit from the colonised region's people and resources.