The Elements Of Drama

What Is Drama?

: A drama (play) is a story enacted onstage for a live audience.

Origins of Drama

The word drama comes from the Greek verb dran, which means to do, or
"action." The earliest known plays were written around the fifth century B.C.
produced for festivals to honour Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.

Types of Drama:

Tragic hero: is noble and in many admirable ways and has a tragic flaw,
a personal failing that leads to a tragic end.

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Elements of Drama

1- Language:
1. Dialogue : conversation of characters onstage.
2. Monologue: long speech given by one character to others.
3. Soliloquy: speech by a character alone onstage to himself or herself or to
the audience.
4. Aside: remarks made to the audience or to one character the other
characters onstage do not hear.
The function of Dialogue: Dialogue brings characters to life by revealing their
personalities and by showing what they are thinking and feeling as they react to
other characters.
The function of Soliloquy: A soliloquy typically reveals the private thoughts
and emotions of the character.
The function of Asides: are frequently used to provide information to the
audience and to reveal the private thoughts of characters.
2-Theme:-The play's theme is its message, its central concerns, the controlling
idea.

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3- Characters:
- A-Protagonist: the central character, the hero.
B- Antagonist, the villain - The forces working against her/him, whether
persons, things, conventions of society, or traits of their own character.
C-Foil: Is character who contrasts with another character usually the
"Protagonist" in order to highlight particular qualities of another character.
D-The Confidant: Is a character in a story that Close to the main character
"Protagonist " like a Close friend or a servant.

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4- Plot: It is a term for the action of drama= - the sequence of events or

incidents of which the story/narrative is composed. The dramatic structure of the
plot consist of the following:
Exposition introduces the characters, especially the main character, also known
as the protagonist. It shows how the characters relate to one another, their goals
and motivations, as well as their moral character. During the exposition, the
protagonist learns their main goal and what is at stake.
Conflict: a point of time in which all of the major characters have been
introduced, their motives and allegiances have been made clear, and they have
begun to struggle against one another.
Rising action starts with a conflict, for example, the death of a character. The
inciting incident is the point of the plot that begins the conflict. It is the event
that catalyzes the protagonist to go into motion and to take action. Rising action
involves the buildup of events until the climax.
In this phase, the protagonist understands his or her goal and begins to work
toward it. Smaller problems thwart their initial success and their progress is
directed primarily against these secondary obstacles. This phase demonstrates
how the protagonist overcomes these obstacles.

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Climax: The climax is the turning point or highest point of the story. The
protagonist makes the single big decision that defines not only the outcome of
the story but also who they are as a person. Freytag defines the climax as the
third of the five dramatic phases which occupies the middle of the story.
At the beginning of this phase, the protagonist finally clears away the
preliminary barriers and engages with the adversary. Usually, both the
protagonist and the antagonist have a plan to win against the other as they enter
this phase. For the first time, the audience sees the pair going against one
another in direct or nearly direct conflict.
This struggle usually results in neither character completely winning or losing.
In most cases, each character's plan is both partially successful and partially
foiled by their adversary. The central struggle between the two characters is
unique in that the protagonist makes a decision which shows their moral quality,
and ultimately decides their fate. In a tragedy, the protagonist here makes a poor
decision or a miscalculation that demonstrates their tragic flaw.
Falling action: the falling action phase consists of events that lead to the ending.
Character's actions resolve the problem. In the beginning of this phase, the
antagonist often has the upper hand. The protagonist has never been further from
accomplishing their goal.
Resolution: In this phase, the protagonist and antagonist have solved their
problems and either the protagonist or antagonist wins the conflict. The conflict
officially ends. Some stories show what happens to the characters after the
conflict ends and they show what happens to the characters in the future.
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5- The setting: The setting of a play refers mainly to the time and place in
which the action occurs. It also refers to the scenery, the physical elements that
appear on stage. The setting influences the action and the emotional reaction of
the audience.

-Stage Directions: Found in brackets [ ], and describe scenery and how

characters speak.