Class Notes: Week 6-Drama (10/25/10/29/10)

Drama

Perrine’s Chapter 1:

*unique to drama: written primarily to be performed, not read

presents action:

· 1) through actors

· 2) on stage

· 3) before audience

· these three attributes influence nature of dramaàauthor has much POWER

· these three attributes also expose limitations of drama

1) through actors: creates more direct and immediate effect

· facial expressions are very important

· gives playwrights lots of power

· limitations:

o viewpoint can only be objective (or dramatic)

o can’t enter minds of characters

§ solution: soliloquy: characters give speech meant to be heard only by audience

§ aside: character turns to audience while speaking to a different character

§ in both: characters are presumed to be telling the truth

§ interrupt action, so should be used sparingly

§ inappropriate if in strict realistic mode

2) on stage: forcefully command attentionàgives playwright more power

· limitations:

o can’t incorporate complex aspects of the physical world

o must present events appropriate for the magnitude of the stage

o difficult to rapidly shift scenes

3) before audience: communal experienceàcreates greater effect

· individual is affected by actions of others-e.g. others laughing causes you to laugh

· depends on size and density of audience; effect = greater if audience = packed together

· limitations:

o must hold attention of audience

§ solution: intermissions/acts-each with own climax

o can’t go back to clarify

some vocabulary:

· realistic convention: drama that attempts (in content + presentation) to preserve illusion of actual, everyday life

· nonrealistic convention: departs markedly from fidelity to outward appearances of life

· tragedy: causally related events lead to downfall and suffering of protagonist-usually of unusual moral or intellectual stature or outstanding abilities

· comedy: usually happy ending, emphasizes human limitation rather than greatness

· farce: related to comedy; emphasizes improbable situations, violent conflicts, physical action, coarse wit over characterization or articulated plot

· melodrama: related to tragedy; sensational incidents, plots at expense of

characterization, relies on cruder conflicts (e.g.-good vs. evil)-usually ends happily, with

good winning

· romantic: type of comedy; likeable and sensible main characters = placed in difficulties from which they are rescued at end of play-either attain ends or have good fortunes restored

· satiric: type of comedy; main purpose =expose + ridicule human folly, vanity, or hypocrisy

· protagonist: central character in story or play

· antagonist: force in story or play that = in conflict with protagonist; may be person, aspect of physical or social environment, destructive element in protagonist’s own nature

· foil character: minor character whose situation or actions parallel those of a major characteràcontrast sets off or illuminates latter-most often contrast = complimentary

· plot: sequence of incidents or events of which a story or play is composed

· suspense: quality in a story or play that makes reader eager to discover what happens next and how it will end

· theme: central idea or unifying generalizations implied or stated by a literary work

· didactic: primary purpose =to teach or preach

· dramatic exposition: presentation through dialogue of information about events that occurred before action of play or offstage/between staged actions; or about individual characters’ backgrounds or general situation (political, historical) in which action takes place

Perrine’s Chapter 2:

*all stage production, no matter how realistic, involves certain necessary artificiality

choice of realistic or nonrealistic stage sets, costuming, makeup lie with producer, not playwright

· former may choice to disregard directions of latter for novelty or emphasis

language and management of dialogue = playwright’s area

· all degrees of realism + nonrealism = possible in this area

dramatic conventions: certain departures from reality

· all dramas require audience to accept some

· examples of necessary conventions: room represented with three and not four walls; actors speak in language of audience regardless of nationality of characters they play, actors must face audience most of the time

· examples of optional conventions: soliloquies/asides, actors speak in heightened language of poetry

o playwrights working in strictly realistic mode will avoid optional conventions

· other nonrealistic devices:

o chorus (Greek-like in Oedipus Rex!): group of actors speaking in unison, often in a chant, while going through steps of an elaborate formalized dance-useful for conveying communal or group emotion

o narrator: vehicle for dramatic truth

*realistic must be regarded as descriptive, not evaluative

· playwrights may choose to be more realistic or less realistic depending on what effect they’re trying to achieve

*human truth, rather than fidelity to fact = highest achievement of literary art

Overall Connections for Weeks 4-6:

· Perrine’s advice on judging both “good” poetry and drama are basically the same: true accomplishment lies in human truth.

· The vocabulary we learned reminds me of the drama we studied in British Literature last year; I especially remember the comedic ladder, which includes satire, slapstick, farce, etc.

· Perrine consistently cites Shakespeare as the master of poetry as well as drama. The epiphany of excellence for each character always seems Shakespeare-related. This is probably why Shakespeare allusions are so important to know.