Lajos Egri’s

Character Bone
Structure
GROUP 1
Who is Lajos Egri?
• Born on June 04, 1888.
•
• An author, playwright, and a teacher
of playwriting.
•
• Wrote his first three-act play at the age
of 10.
•
• Died on February 07, 1967 (78).
The Art of Dramatic Writing
• Originally published titled ‘How to write a
play’ in 1942 but was revised and
published as the ‘The Art of Dramatic
Writing’ in 1946.
•
• Contradicts against Aristotle’s view of
character being secondary to plot.
•
• Regarded as one the best works and guides on
the subject of playwriting.
•
Character Design
To Egri, “It is not enough, in your study of a man, to
know if he is rude, polite, religious, atheistic… you
must know why?”

Thus, the idea of Character Bone Structure as a

tool was used for character design.
 The Three Dimensions:
Physiology - The most simple out of the three.

Sociology - The interactions with society.

Psychology - The most important but complex.
PHYSIOLOGY
Tackles about the basic status of a character.

Should not be the defining aspect of a character.

Affects the characters emotion, decisions, and outlook
in life.
Sex/Gender
Age
Height & Weight
Color of Hair, Eyes, and Skin
Posture
Appearance
Defects
Heredity

SOCIOLOGY
 The interactions with the characters society around.

 “Ifyou were born in a basement, and your playground was a dirty
street, your reactions would differ from those of a boy who was
born in a mansion.”

 Sociological factors affect how other people view the character.
Class
Occupation
Education
Home Life
Race/Nationality
Religion,
Political Affiliation
Social Standing (e.g. influential, outcast, etc.)
PSYCHOLOGY
The product of the other two.

The characters’ response and behaviour.

Psychological aspect makes your character more
interesting.


Moral Standards
Aspirations
Frustrations
Temparament
Extrovert-Introvert-Ambivert
Idiosyncrasies
Attitude toward life (ambitious, defeatist, etc.)
By using the three dimensions of Character
Bone Structure, it can help you create a well-
rounded and developed character. As what
Lajos Egri believes, the character is the one that
drive the plot themselves. The foundation of the
character is essential in creating a well crafted
story.