Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Features of Drama

Our readings for class mainly involved the different features and elements within drama. It contains a lot of the same things as literature, including exposition, the technique by which a character presents background information, dialogue, the conversation between two or more characters, conflicts, rising actions, climax and the denouement, the "untying" of the conflicts. What truly seperates drama and simple literature involves the way it is performed.
Literature is read.The tone and word choice carries the story and helps it to create themes that a reader will continue to take with them. A drama or a play can be read like a story, but is most powerful when performed. Actors and directors cause the story to be told with a certain tone of voice and certain movements to create a completely different world for the viewer. I liked how in the reading, they mention how the person who writes the script is a playwright instead of a playwrite. Wright is a word for "one skilled in manufacturing three-dimensional items." A playwright does not simply write words, but create a three dimensional world for their viewer.
The types of drama helped to create the genres of plays and movies that we in modern society enjoy. It can be broken into two groups: Tragedy and comedy. These continue to be broken down more, into Melodramas, tragicomedies, problem plays, romantic comedies, and even more. These help to formulate characters to last in the mind of the viewer, such as the tragic hero.
Dramas are able to create a perfomance that no other form of entertainment can. It can leave and endless emotion with the audience that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. I cannot say that dramas are better than literature, or vice versa. Both serve differnt purposes.

2 comments:

  1. nice overview of some of the basics for understanding drama. It is obvious to see crossover with fiction. What about poetry?

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  2. From the little I know I think that there is some crossover between poetry, drama, and fiction. I would say that in some poems there is the Freytag Triangle (I think that's what its called) and there are protagonists and they can be tragic or comedic. Tone and diction obviously carry over as well. Taylor I like that in your post you bring up the part about playwrights. I didn't know that and i think its interesting.

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