Download analysis of drama

ANALYSIS OF DRAMA
In Preparation for a Production of Beowulf
Mrs. Martyn
Comp/Lit 12
What does this mean?
How about this?
What is the difference between
these two pictures?
A work of art by Van
Gogh uses our feelings
about the night sky to
communicate specific
ideas.
• We do not question that Van Gogh’s
painting has a different meaning, a more
focused meaning than a picture of the
night sky.
• In the same way, a production means
more than the story it tells. It is this
meaning that is the focus of analysis, not
the story.
WHAT IS DRAMA?
DRAMA IS:
• A COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS
• TOLD IN THE FORM OF A STORY (with
notable exceptions)
• TOLD IN THE FIRST PERSON AS IF THE
EVENTS WERE OCCURRING
• MEANT TO BE SEEN AS A PART OF A
GREATER PRODUCTION RATHER THAN
READ.
Therefore an analysis of drama
includes:
• What ideas are being communicated?
• What are the key actions which
communicate those ideas?
• What is the nature of the communication
(satire, irony, melodrama etc)?
• How did (or how will) this particular
interpretation of this poem communicate
these ideas?
Approaches to Analysis
For the purposes of this course you will
analyze Beowulf from two perspectives:
1.An artist who is communicating an
interpretation of a poem for production
2.An audience member who is
communicating a reaction to a specific
interpretation of a poem which has been
produced
In addition, this unit will ask you to look at
Beowulf from the perspectives of
designers, each of whom need specific
kinds of information and generally
communicate different (but overlapping)
aspects of the overall meaning of the
production.
The Parts of drama (Aristotle)
Plot: The manner in which the action is
arranged.
Character: The specific human qualities
affecting the action.
Thought (idea or theme): The
communication of the production
Language
Song
Spectacle
–THOUGHT
While Aristotle cites Plot as the most
important element of drama,
thought represents its raison d’etre.
Thought refers to the idea which is
being communicated by a specific
production. Clear articulation of
this idea can be done in many ways.
We will use dramatic action to
communicate Beowulf’s main idea.
DRAMATIC ACTION
The dramatic action at its best, articulates
the main idea of the story while also
suggesting the mood and manner in which
that idea is communicated.
The dramatic action provides a concise
vision of the whole story.
It provides a purpose for bringing this story
to life in this way.
What am I talking about?:
developing a theme
We tell our actors that all action on stage must be
motivated. The same is true with a production.
The communication of a theme motivates the
work.
Themes are more than abstract ideas such as
“love,” “The American Dream” or “death.”
Themes reflect a stance or comment on an idea
that is significant to the audience.
Story:
• The story is a series of events which occur in
the plot. They may or may not be causally
linked.
• The story has a beginning a middle and an
end.
• The story consists of all actions which occur
in the plot and all characters who appear.
Plot
• The plot is the sequence of events which
carry weight of the main idea of the story.
• Almost every plot involves a character
(protagonist) who is attempting to achieve
a particular goal and who must overcome
obstacles in order to achieve that goal (or
goals) and undergoes change as a result
of the struggle.
Communicating plot:
• The plot, like the story, contains a
beginning, a middle, and an end.
• The plot is a series of incidents which are
causally linked. Thus, not all actions in a
play are part of the plot.
• While the plot consists of many actions, it
can be defined by 3 actions which occur in
a logical sequence and are caused by the
prior action.
Thus, you can communicate your plot for your
production of Beowulf by identifying the
INCITING INCIDENT, THE CRISIS AND THE
CLIMAX.
World of the Poem
The production concept
The world of the poem is a description of the
construct you create which simultaneously
expresses the production’s theme and the given
circumstances of the story.
Your production concept should explain any ideas
about your approach that all your designers
should take into consideration. It is the guide
that will inform all design choices in order to
create a unified whole.