The Elements of Drama
Arranged by:
Annisa Nur Fitria
Ghea Hafiiza Nazmi
Mardiatun Nisa
Maya Putri Amelia
Zahrah Fawziah
5C
The Elements of Drama
The elements of drama, by which dramatic
works can be analyzed and evaluated, can be
categorized into three major areas:
LITERARY ELEMENTS
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
PERFORMANCE
ELEMENTS
Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama
--Literary Elements--
Plot Theme Characters
Dialogue Music/Rhythm Spectacle
Plot refers to the action; the basic
Plot
storyline of the play.
Initial Preliminary Rising
incident event action
Falling
Denouement Climax
action
Six Stages in a Plot Structure
Theme refers to the meaning of the play.
Theme Theme is the main idea or lesson to be
learned from the play. In some cases, the
theme of a play is obvious; other times it is
quite subtle.
Conflict--
between two
individuals
Conflict between
man and a
supernatural
Some General Themes power
Conflict between
the man and
himself
The people (sometimes animals or ideas)
portrayed by the actors in the play. It is the
Characters
Theme characters who move the action or plot.
Characterization is the way an author
presents a character.
Protagonist Antagonist Static Dynamic
Stock
Foil
Character
Flat Round
Stereotype Archetype
Types of Characters
This refers to the words written by the
Dialogue playwright and spoken by the characters in
the play. The dialogue helps move the
action of the play along.
Various Forms of An exchange between two or more characters
Dialogue
Soliloquy
• A character that is typically alone on stage delivers a long
speech which is called a soliloquy. Emotions and innermost
thoughts of the character are revealed in a soliloquy.
Aside
• This is spoken by a character to another character or to the
audience but is not heard by the other characters on stage.
Asides reveal what a character is thinking or feeling.
While music is often featured in
Music/Rhythm drama, in this case Aristotle was
referring to the rhythm of the actors'
voices as they speak.
Spectacle
This refers to the visual elements of a
play: sets, costumes, special effects,
etc. Spectacle is everything that the
audience sees as they watch the play.
Elements of Drama in The Modern
Theater
--Literary Elements--
Characters Plot Theme
Dialogue Convention Genre
Audience
These are the techniques and
Convention methods used by the playwright and
director to create the desired stylistic
effect.
Genre refers to the type of play. Some
Genre examples of different genres include
comedy, tragedy, mystery and
historical play.
This is the group of people who watch the
Audience play. Many playwrights and actors
consider the audience to be the most
important element of drama, as all of the
effort put in to writing and producing a
play is for the enjoyment of the audience.
--Technical Elements--
Scenery
Costumes
(set)
Properties Lights
Sound Makeup
Scenery The theatrical equipment, such as
curtains, flats, backdrops, or platforms,
(set) used in a dramatic production to
communicate environment.
Costumes Clothing and accessories are worn by
actors to portray character and period.
Properties are any article, except costume
Properties or scenery, used as part of a dramatic
production; any moveable object that
appears on stage during a performance,
from a telephone to a train
Light elements means that every
Lights placement, intensity, and color of
lights have to be set as needed to help
communicate environment, mood, or
feeling.
The effects an audience hears during
Sound performance to communicate
character, context, or environment.
Makeup includes costumes, wigs, and
Makeup body paint used to transform an actor into
a character.
--Performance Elements--
• The use of face, body, and voice to
Acting portray character
Character • The reason or reasons for a character’s
behavior; an incentive or inducement
Motivation for further action for a character in
drama.
• In responding to dramatic art, the
Character process of examining how the elements
of drama –literary, technical, and
Analysis performance –are used.
• The capacity to relate to the
Empathy feelings of another
Conclusion
In drama, there are 3 major elements which are literary,
technical, and performance elements. Literary
elements consist of plot, theme, characters, dialogue,
music, spectacle, convention, genre, and audience.
Technical elements consist of scenery (set), costumes,
properties, lights, sound, and makeup. And the last,
performance elements consist of acting, character
motivation, character analysis, and empathy. For each
element hold specific role in ensuring the success of a
drama, we have to pay attention to each element that
constructs it.
Thank You
