- PLAYWRIGHT– the person who invents/writes the play
- Plot – the plan or essential facts of the story
- Theme – the main idea transmitted by the play, for example, Othello’s jealousy
- SCRIPT - words that are written for the actors to say. It may also have:
- STAGE DIRECTIONS: Instructions for the actors about how to speak and move onstage
- EFFECTS details about things such as music, lighting, sound effects, etc.
- Descriptions of the SETTING or staging (the background scenery, the time of the day…)
- A CAST or list of characters
- CHARACTER – a made-up person who appears in a play. Protagonist – the main character. The antagonist is his/her rival in the conflict
In a story, the
narrator tells us about the characters
and the plot. However, in a dramatic work, we must learn about the characters
from:
Ø Their words:
what they say in the DIALOGUE
Ø Their actions:
what they do and how they do it
Ø Their reactions:
what characters act towards each other
- ACT – a major division of any dramatic work. It can include a number of SCENES that are shorter units of action in which the setting is fixed. A change in scenery implies a new scene.