The Elements of Drama

A drama is the literary form designed for presentation by actors representing the characters. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Basically that definition is accurate, but, as you’re probably aware, there’s much more to a drama. A drama is similar to poetry in that it’s meant to be heard, not just read. In fact, most of the early plays were written in verse. A drama tells a story through action and dialogue. Most plays are structured around the same elements of fiction as the short story: exposition, complication, climax, falling action, and resolution. Although most dramas incorporate these critical elements, the methods of doing so are different from the methods used by a short story writer.
In your Literature textbook, read “The Nature of Drama” (pages 1027–1032) and “Realistic and Nonrealistic Drama” (pages 1074–1078).

When you finish reading “The Nature of Drama” and “Realistic and Nonrealistic Drama,” come back to this study guide to read the following commentary. An audience in a film understands that filmmakers use special effects. Films are often judged by how realistic these special effects are. When a car explodes in a movie, viewers know that the stuntman driving the car has safely exited the vehicle; when rockets battle each other, viewers know that they’re really seeing computer animation or drawings of some kind. However, when people enter the theater to watch a film, they choose to “suspend their disbelief,” to use a phrase of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They do the same thing when they go to see a play. They enter a world of “let’s pretend” or of “make-believe” that’s familiar to them from childhood. The playwright can choose to create a realistic drama, where the

action is played out in a recognizable setting, for example, a living room, a nursing home, or a used-car lot. Or the playwright can choose an unrealistic setting, such as the surface of the moon, an enchanted wood, or a magic garden. Certain dramatic conventions apply. Most plays are presented on a stage that has three walls. The audience understands that the fourth wall is invisible. The lowering or raising of the curtain or of the lights signals the start and stop of the action. Some plays are performed with elaborate sets and scenery; others, with minimal staging and props. If the playwright and actors have done their jobs, the audience falls into the reality of the production. Together, the actors and audience pretend that it’s real. It’s sometimes a shock to see an actor who has portrayed an invalid walk confidently on stage to take his bow at the end of a performance. He may have been so convincing that the audience thought he was an invalid in real life.

Tragedy and Comedy
Read the section called “Tragedy and Comedy” in your Literature textbook (pages 1209–1216).

When you’ve finished reading “Tragedy and Comedy,” come back to this study guide to read the following commentary. The first play you’ll read is Oedipus Rex, a tragedy. A tragedy is a type of drama that usually ends in the downfall and suffering of the protagonist. Oedipus Rex fulfills the qualities that Aristotle set out for a tragedy. Oedipus is a noble king. He’s better than an ordinary man; he has extraordinary qualities of leadership and a nobility of character. The play brings him from happiness to misery, and his fall results from a criminal act committed in ignorance, or what Aristotle called hamartia. The story of Oedipus involves both a reversal of fortune and a discovery. The audience understands from the beginning that Oedipus is a noble king. His downfall and discovery trigger a catharsis of emotions in the audience. The term catharsis means an emotional release as a result of a