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Activator: Acrostic INSTRUCTIONS: Write the name “Shakespeare” on your plate. Next, write information you learned during your Web Quest using the letters in Shakespeare. You have 5 minutes to complete this task. Introduction to Drama Emphasis on Shakespearean Drama Part One ELEMENTS OF DRAMA Drama The word drama comes from the Greek verb dran, which means “to do.” ◦ The earliest known plays. . . Were written around the fifth century B.C. Produced for festivals to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. Dramatic Structure Like the plot of a story, the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem or conflict. Rising action: tension builds Exposition: characters, setting and conflict are introduced Climax: point of highest tension; action determines how the conflict will be resolved Falling action: tension subsides Resolution conflict is resolved; play ends Elements of Drama Playwright-the author of a play Actors-the people who perform Acts-the units of action Scenes-parts of the acts Characters’ Speech The characters’ speech may take any of the following forms. Dialogue- conversations of characters on stage Monologue- long speech given by one character to the others Soliloquy- speech by a character alone onstage to himself, herself, or to the audience Asides- remarks made to the audience or to one character: the other characters onstage do not hear an aside Stage Directions Found in brackets [ ] Describe scenery and how characters speak C, Center Stage L, Stage Left R, Stage Right U, Upstage or Rear D, Downstage or Front Part Two TYPES OF PLAYS Two Types of Plays Tragedies Comedies Tragedy A tragedy is a play that ends unhappily. It shows the downfall of the main character. Most classic Greek tragedies deal with serious, universal themes such as . . . right and wrong justice and injustice life and death Tragedies put human limitations against the larger forces of destiny. Tragic Hero The protagonist of most pride classical tragedies is a tragic hero. rebelliousness ◦ The tragic hero is noble and in many ways likable. ◦ However, he has a tragic flaw, which is a personality flaw or a mistake he makes. jealousy Comedy A comedy is a play that ends happily. The plot usually centers on a romantic conflict. boy meets girl boy loses girl boy wins girl Comedy Comic complications always occur before the conflict is resolved. In most cases, the play ends with a wedding. Part Three DEVICES IN DRAMA Dramatic Irony Dramatic Irony: the audience or the reader knows something that a character does not. Playwrights use dramatic irony when they allow the audience to know more than the characters do about a specific situation or incident. Foil A foil is a character who provides a contrast to another character, usually the protagonist. The function of a foil is to highlight the protagonist’s qualities and personality. ◦ Therefore, a foil is a method of characterization for a playwright. Part Four LANGUAGE OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS Shakespeare’s Language Meter is a rhythm of accented and unaccented syllables which are organized into patterns, called feet. Using the same meter throughout a play helped actors memorize their lines. Shakespeare used iambic pentameter as his meter. Iambic Pentameter Iambic foot = a pair of syllables containing short/long or unstressed/stressed syllables. Pentameter = five So Iambic pentameter is a line that contains five iambs (10 syllables in unstressed stressed pattern) Makes a sound like a heartbeat: deDUM deDUM deDUM deDUM deDUM Iambic Pentameter Examples When I do count the clock that tells the time To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells