Introduction to Drama & the World of Shakespeare
What Is Drama? A play is a story acted out, live and onstage.
Structure of a Drama Like the plot of a story, the plot of a drama follows a rising ‐ and ‐ falling structure. Clim ax tension at highest point Com plications tension builds Resolution conflict is settled, Exposition play ends conflict is introduced
Kinds of Plays A play may be a tragedy, a comedy, or, in modern drama, a mixture of the two. A tragedy depicts serious and important events that end unhappily. A com edy ends happily. Although most comedies are funny, they may also make us think and question.
Kinds of Plays Quick Check 1. A young woman wants to marry her love, but her mother disapproves of him. After many setbacks, the suitor wins the mother’s approval and the lovers marry. Which plot would be a tragedy, and which would be a comedy? 2. A young man, blinded by passion, worsens a feud between his family and his lover’s. The play ends with the deaths of the two lovers.
Tragedy Most classical tragedies deal with serious subjects—fate, life, and death—and center on a tragic hero. Tragic heroes rebelliousness � are usually noble ambition figures � have a tragic flaw , passion a personal failing that leads to their downfall excessive pride
Comedy In a comedy, the characters usually face humorous obstacles and problems that are resolved by the end of the play. Com ic heroes � may be ordinary people instead of nobility � eventually overcome their flaws and achieve happiness
Comedy � The conflict in comedies is usually romantic. � Someone wants to marry but faces an obstacle—opposing parents or rival suitors. � Complications can involve misunderstandings, mistaken identities, disguises, or transformation. � The obstacle is always overcome.
Modern Drama Many of today’s dramas can’t be neatly defined as either comedy and tragedy. Modern plays � often mix the serious with the humorous � focus on characters that audiences will identify with rather than look up to
Perform ance of a Play Plays are meant to be performed. A play comes to life in each unique performance. Stage Directions Playwright describes setting and actions I nterpretation Actors, directors, and designers interpret these directions creatively Perform ance Audience experiences the story through the actors’ speech and actions
The Stage A stage is like a small world unto itself. upstage � can be grand or intimate stage stage right left � has its own coordinates that are the opposite from how it looks from the audience downstage
The Stage The stage’s set might be realistic and detailed abstract or m inim al A set can be changed from scene to scene— some � mes with machinery and sometimes with just a change in lighting.
The Stage Other important elements of set design are costumes and props. Costumes tell us about the characters and the time and place. They can be elaborate or minimal. Props are items that the characters carry or handle onstage.
The Characters The actors and director bring characters to life by � deciding how to interpret Mary: Can I make and speak the lines of the play it on my own? � building on the playwright’s stage directions for actions and movements [ Mary takes off her jacket and faces the audience.]
The Movies and Theater Movies are a medium of images. Movie-goers generally want to see action, vivid scenery, and movement on screen. Plays are a medium of words. Play-goers generally want to watch the subtle development of conflicts among a small group of people in one setting.
The Characters Characters’ speech takes the form of Dialogue —conversation between characters Monologue —a long speech by one character to one or more other characters Soliloquy —a speech by a character alone onstage, speaking to himself or herself or to the audience
Aside Sometimes a character speaks to the audience or to another character in an aside, dialogue that is not supposed to be heard by the other characters onstage.
Review [Gwendolen and Cecily are at the window, What are the looking out into the garden.] stage directions in this passage? Gwendolen. The fact that they did not follow us at once into the house . . . seems to me to show that they have some sense of shame left. Cecily. They have been eating muffins. That Is this more looks like repentance. likely to be a Gwendolen. [After a pause.] They don’t seem to comedy or a notice us at all. Couldn’t you cough? tragedy? Why? from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
What are the stage directions in this passage? [Gwendolen and Cecily are at the window, looking out into the garden.] Gwendolen. The fact that they did not follow us at once into the house . . . seems to me to show that they have some sense of shame left. Cecily. They have been eating muffins. That looks like repentance. Gwendolen. [After a pause.] They don’t seem to notice us at all. Couldn’t you cough? from The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Shakespeare and His Theater William Shakespeare wrote his plays to make the best use of the theaters of his time. He relied on language to � set the scenes � move the play fluidly from one scene to another � entertain audience members from different backgrounds—from commoners to wealthy merchants to royalty
Early Elizabethan Theaters Before permanent theaters were built, touring acting companies performed � in the courtyards of inns or wherever they could rent space � on temporary platform stages � to an audience who stood around the stage or sat in balconies surrounding the courtyard
The First Permanent Theater The first permanent theater in England was � built by James Burbage in 1576 � located outside the city walls of London � called “The Theater” � torn down in 1599. Its timbers were used by Shakespeare and his company to build the Globe
The Globe Shakespeare wrote most of his plays for the Globe Theater. The Globe Theater was: � a round (or � called the polygonal) “wooden O” three-story in Henry V building
The Globe’s Stage The Globe’s main stage was a platform stage that � projected into a yard open to the sky � had trapdoors in the floor main stage
The Globe’s Stage Trapdoors could be used for � entrances and exits for ghosts � descents into hell
The Globe’s Stage The Globe’s inner stage was � curtained off � flanked by two doors for entrances and exits inner stage
The Globe’s Stage The balcony or upper stage could be used as � Juliet’s balcony upper stage � the high walls of a castle � the bridge of a ship [ End of Section]
A Performance at the Globe � Plays were performed in the afternoon. � No stage lighting was used. � Very few sets—scenery, furniture, etc.—were used. Scenes were “set” by the playwright’s language. . . . Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops. from The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Performance at the Globe Plays were performed by all ‐ male medieval trade guilds. � Female roles were played by boys. � Actors often wore elaborate costumes.
Now click here to take a virtual tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
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