DRAMA

Contents
1. What is Drama?
2. Elements of Drama
3. Kinds of Drama
4. Forms of Drama
 A play is a story acted out,
live and onstage.
 DRAMA
 Drama comes from Greek words
“dran” meaning "to do" or "to
act." It also referred to as “play”.
 It is a prose or verse
composition, especially one telling
a serious story that was intended
for representation by actors
impersonating the characters and
performing the dialogue and
action and a serious narrative
work or program for television,
radio, or the cinema.
 The Elements of Drama
Elements of Drama: The elements of drama,
by which dramatic works can be analyzed
and evaluated, can be categorized into
three major areas: literary elements,
technical elements, and performance
elements.
Three Major Elements
 Literary elements
 Technical elements
 Performance elements
Plot: the series of events that take
place in a play. There are 6 stages
in a plot structure:
Initial incident- the event that “gets the story going”

Preliminary event whatever takes place BEFORE

the action of the play that is directly related to the
Play

Rising action: a series of events following the initial incident and leading up
to the
dramatic climax.

Climax: the turning point or high point of a story, when events can go either
way

Falling action: the series of events following the climax.

Denouement or Conclusion : another term for the ending-it is the French

word for “unraveling”).
 Character: a person portrayed in a
drama, novel, or other artistic piece.

Exposition is the “who, when, where

and what” part of the play.

Story organization: beginning, middle, end

Conflict: the internal or external struggle between

opposing forces, ideas, or interests that creates
dramatic tension.

Suspense: a feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome,

used to build interest and excitement on the part of
the audience.
 Theme: the basic idea of a play; the
idea, point of view, or perception
that binds together a work of art.

Language: in drama, the particular

manner of verbal expression, the
diction or style of writing, or the speech or phrasing
that
suggests a class or profession or type of character.

Style: the shaping of dramatic material, settings, or

costumes in a deliberately nonrealistic manner.
 The plot has been called the
body of a play and the theme
has been called its soul.
 A writer’s message, or main
point, is the theme of his or
her literary work. Looking for
a theme helps you look more
deeply into the literature and
makes for more enjoyable
reading.
 You will need to infer what the
theme is from the work’s title,
key scenes, characters,
symbols, and plot events.
 events that make up a story,
particularly as they relate to
one another in a pattern, in a
sequence, through cause and
effect, or by coincidence.
 The plot is usually structured

with acts and scenes.

 Like the plot of a story, the plot of a drama follows a rising-
and-falling structure.
Climax
tension at highest point

Complications
tension builds

Resolution
conflict is settled, play ends
Exposition
conflict is introduced
A. Omniscient – a
story told by the
author, using the
third person;
her/his knowledge,
control, and
prerogatives are
unlimited; authorial
subjectivity.
B. Limited Omniscient – a
story in which the author
associates with a major or
minor character; this
character serves as the
author’s spokesperson or
mouthpiece.
C. First Person – the
author identifies with or
disappears in a major or
minor character; the
story is told using the
first person “I”.
D. Objective or Dramatic –
the opposite of the
omniscient; displays
authorial objectivity;
compared a roving sound
camera. Very little of the
past or the future is given;
the story is set in the
present
A

conversation
between
 
characters                                     
in a
literary work.
 Dialogue brings
characters to life
by revealing their
personalities and
by showing what
they are thinking
and feeling as they
react to other
characters.
 A long speech
delivered by a
character who is
alone onstage.
Asoliloquy typically reveals
the private thoughts and
emotions of the character.
 A character who provides a strong
contrast to another character.
 A foil may emphasize another character’s
distinctive traits or make a character look
better by comparison.
 It is the most important
element and without it
the drama is never
performed.
 It is the name of place
where on the drama is
acted.
 Technical Elements
 Scenery (set): theatrical equipment used in a dramatic
production
 Costumes: Clothing and accessories worn by actors
 Props: Short for properties
 Lights: to help communicate environment, mood, or feeling
 Sound: The effects an audience hears during performance
 Makeup: Costumes, wigs, and body paint used.
 Performance Elements
 Acting: Use of face, body, and voice to portray character
 Character analysis: examining how the elements of drama are used
 Empathy: The capacity to relate to the feelings of another
 Speaking: The mode of expression or delivery of lines
 Breath control: Proper use of the lungs and diaphragm muscle.
 Vocal expression: How an actor uses his or her voice
 Inflection: Change in pitch or loudness of the voice.
 Projection: How well the voice carries to the audience
 Speaking style: The mode of expression or delivery of lines
 Diction: Selection and pronunciation of words; clarity of speech.
 Gestures: movement of the actor’s body to convey meaning
 Facial expression: Physical and vocal aspects used by an actor
 TYPES OF DRAMA
1. Comedy
2. Tragedy
3. Tragicomedy
4. Farce
5. Melodrama
6. Musical
A tragedy is a play that ends unhappily.
• Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious,
universal themes such as

right and wrong

justice and injustice
life and death

• Tragedies pit human limitations against the larger

forces of destiny.
The protagonist of most classical tragedies is a
tragic hero. This hero
pride
• is noble and in many
ways admirable
• has a tragic flaw, a rebelliousness
personal failing that leads
to a tragic end
jealousy
A comedy is a play that ends happily. The plot usually
centers on a romantic conflict.

boy meets girl boy loses girl boy wins girl

The main characters in a comedy could be anyone:

nobility townspeople servants

• Comic complications always
occur before the conflict is
resolved.

• In most cases, the play

ends with a wedding.
 Tragicomedy is a play that does not adhere strictly to
the structure of tragedy. This is usually serious play that
also has some of the qualities of comedy. It arouses
thought even with laughter.
 Tragicomedy
 drama that contains elements of
tragedy and comedy. One
example of tragicomedies is
English playwright William
Shakespeare's so-called
reconciliation plays, such as The
Winter's Tale (1610), which
reach a tragic climax but then
lighten to a happy conclusion.
 A tragicomedy is the usual form
for plays in the tradition of the
theater of the absurd.
 Farce is a play that brings laughter for the sake of
laughter, usually making use grossly embellished events
and characters. It has very swift movements, has
ridiculous situations, and does not stimulate thought.
Melodrama shows events that follow each other rapidly, but
seems to be governed always by chance. The characters are
victims in the hands of merciless fate.
 Musical
• In musical theater, the story is told not only
through dialogue and acting but through music
and dance. Musicals are often comedic, although
many do involve serious subject matter. Most
involve a large cast and lavish sets and
costumes.
• As a student of drama it is important to be able
recognize these different types of drama. Be
aware that in modern theater, the lines
between these types of drama are often quite
blurred, with elements of comedy, drama and
tragedy residing in the same play.
Forms of Drama

1. Opera
2. Pantomime
3. Creative Drama
Opera
 Opera is a dramatic art
form, which arose during
the Renaissance.
 Drama in which the text is
set to music and staged.
 The texts of operas are
sung, with singing and stage
action nearly always given
instrumental accompaniment.
Pantomime
 is an art of dramatic
representation by means of
facial expressions and body
movements rather than words.
Pantomime, or mime, has
always played a part in
theater.
 Pantomime, or dumb show, was
essential to commedia
dell'arte, an improvised
comedy that arose in 16th-
century Italy and spread
throughout Europe.
 Creative Drama
 includes dramatic
activities and games
used primarily in
educational settings
with children.