Unit 7: Introduction to Drama

A drama is a piece of literature that is written to be performed for an audience.

Screenplays and television scripts are dramas written to be acted out on film and shown to an audience on screen.

Screenplays and television scripts are dramas written to be acted out on film and shown to an audience on screen.

Tragedy: There is usually a heroic protagonist, or main character, who is ultimately destroyed by a tragic flaw within him- or herself.

Comedy: The plot often involves a series of mishaps and humorous situations. Comedies typically have happy endings.

Just as in novels and short stories, the plot introduces a drama’s central conflict, or struggle, develops it through rising action, and resolves it after the climax.

As in fiction, the protagonist is the most important character.

Sometimes, another character takes on the role of the antagonist, who engages in conflict with the protagonist.

Together, all of the characters form the drama’s cast.

In a drama, plot is mostly revealed through physical action and dialogue, or conversation between characters.

Sometimes, information is presented to the audience through the speech of one character. This is called a monologue.

Stage directions appear before and after lines of dialogue, and they indicate how a character should say a certain line, what facial expressions to make, what gestures to use, and so on.

Just as a novel is sometimes divided into chapters, a script is usually divided into acts and scenes.

Just as a novel is sometimes divided into chapters, a script is usually divided into acts and scenes.