Elements of Drama

Most successful playwrights follow the theories of playwriting and drama that were established over two thousand years ago by a man named Aristotle.  In his works
the Poetics Aristotle outlined the six elements of drama in his critical analysis of the classical Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex written by the Greek playwright, Sophocles,
in the fifth century B.C.  The six elements as they are outlined involve: Thought, Theme, Ideas; Action or Plot; Characters; Language; Music; and Spectacle.
 
1. Thought/Theme/Ideas
What the play means as opposed to what happens (the plot).  Sometimes the theme is clearly stated in the title.  It may be stated through dialogue by a character acting
as the playwright’s voice. Or it may be the theme is less obvious and emerges only after some study or thought. The abstract issues and feelings that grow out of the
dramatic action.
 
2. Action/Plot
The events of a play; the story as opposed to the theme; what happens rather than what it means. The plot must have some sort of unity and clarity by setting up a
pattern by which each action initiating the next rather than standing alone without connection to what came before it or what follows.  In the plot of a play, characters
are involved in conflict that has a pattern of movement. The action and movement in the play begins from the initial entanglement, through rising action, climax, and
falling action to resolution.
 
3. Characters
These are the people presented in the play that are involved in the perusing plot.  Each character should have their own distinct personality, age, appearance, beliefs,
socio economic background, and language.
 
4. Language
The word choices made by the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language.  Language and dialog delivered by the characters moves the plot and action
along, provides exposition, defines the distinct characters.  Each playwright can create their own specific style in relationship to language choices they use in
establishing character and dialogue. 
 
5. Music
Music can encompass the rhythm of dialogue and speeches in a play or can also mean the aspects of the melody and music compositions as with musical theatre.  Each
theatrical presentation delivers music, rhythm and melody in its own distinctive manner.    Music is not a part of every play.  But, music can be included to mean all
sounds in a production.  Music can expand to all sound effects, the actor’s voices, songs, and instrumental music played as underscore in a play.  Music creates patterns
and establishes tempo in theatre.  In the aspects of the musical the songs are used to push the plot forward and move the story to a higher level of intensity.  Composers
and lyricist work together with playwrights to strengthen the themes and ideas of the play.  Character’s wants and desires can be strengthened for the audience through
lyrics and music.
 
6. Spectacle
The spectacle in the theatre can involve all of the aspects of scenery, costumes, and special effects in a production.  The visual elements of the play created for theatrical
event.  The qualities determined by the playwright that create the world and atmosphere of the play for the audience’s eye. 
 
Further Considerations of the Playwright
Above and beyond the elements outlined above the playwright has other major considerations to take into account when writing.  The Genre and Form of the
play is an important aspect.  Some playwrights are pure in the choice of genre for a play.  They write strictly tragedy or comedy.  Other playwrights tend to mix genre,
combining both comedy and tragedy in one piece of dramatic work.
  
Genre/Form
Drama is divided into the categories of tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and tragicomedy.  Each of these genre/forms can be further subdivide by style and
content.
 
Tragedy
Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude.  The tragedy is presented in the form of action, not narrative. It will arouse
pity and fear in the audience as it witnesses the action.  It allows for an arousal of this pity and fear and creates an affect of purgation or catharsis of these strong
emotions by the audience.  Tragedy is serious by nature in its theme and deals with profound problems.  These profound problems are universal when applied to the
human experience.  In classical tragedy we find a protagonist at the center of the drama that is a great person, usually of upper class birth.  He is a good man that can be
admired, but he has a tragic flaw, a hamartia, that will be the ultimate cause of his down fall.  This tragic flaw can take on many characteristics but it is most often too
much pride or hubris.  The protagonist always learns, usually too late, the nature of his flaw and his mistakes that have caused his downfall.  He becomes self-aware and
accepts the inevitability of his fate and takes full responsibility for his actions.  We must have this element of inevitability in tragedy.  There must be a cause and effect
relationship from the beginning through the middle to the end or final catastrophe.  It must be logical in the conclusion of the necessary outcome.  Tragedy will involve
the audience in the action and create tension and expectation.  With the climax and final end the audience will have learned a lesson and will leave the theatre not
depressed or sullen, but uplifted and enlightened.
 
Comedy
Comedy should have the view of a “comic spirit” and is physical and energetic.  It is tied up in rebirth and renewal, this is the reason most comedy end in weddings,
which suggest a union of a couple and the expected birth of children.  In comedy there is absence of pain and emotional reactions, as with tragedy, and a replaced use of
mans intellect.  The behavior of the characters presented in comedy is ludicrous and sometimes absurd and the result in the audience is one of correction of behaviors. 
This correction of behaviors is the didactic element of comedy that acts as a mirror for society , by which the audience learns “don’t behave in ludicrous and absurd
ways.”  The types of comedies can vary greatly; there are situation comedies, romantic comedies, sentimental comedies, dark comedies, comedy of manners, and pure
farce.  The comic devices used by playwrights of comedy are: exaggeration, incongruity, surprise, repetition, wisecracks, and sarcasm. 
 
Melodrama
Melodrama is drama of disaster and differs from tragedy significantly, in that; forces outside of the protagonist cause all of the significant events of the plot.  All of the
aspects of related guilt or responsibility of the protagonist are removed.  The protagonist is usually a victim of circumstance.  He is acted upon by the antagonist or anti-
hero and suffers without having to accept responsibility and inevitability of fate.  In melodrama we have clearly defined character types with good guys and bad guys
identified.  Melodrama has a sense of strict moral judgment.  All issues presented in the plays are resolved in a well-defined way.  The good characters are rewarded and
the bad characters are punished in a means that fits the crime. 
 
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is the most life like of all of the genres.  It is non-judgmental and ends with no absolutes.  It focuses on character relationships and shows society in a state
of continuous flux.  There is a mix of comedy and tragedy side by side in these types of plays.
 
Elements of Drama
What are the different elements of drama? How do they affect the popularity of a play? Read on to find out.
Drama is a display of emotions, a representation of relationships and the portrayal of the different phases of human life. It sketches different personalities and
represents a wide variety of emotions through the different characters it portrays. Which of its components are identified as the elements of drama? Let us see.

Aristotle, a philosopher who wrote on a variety of subjects like poetry, theater, music, rhetoric and handled subjects like biology, physics, logic and politics, writes
that there are six elements of drama, namely the plot, theme, character, dialog, music and the visual element. Let us look at each of them.

Theme: The theme of a drama refers to the central idea of the play. It can either be clearly stated through dialog or action or can be inferred after watching the entire
performance.

Plot: The order of events occurring in a play is referred to as the plot of the drama. It is the basic storyline that is narrated through a play. The entertainment one
derives from a play depends largely on the sequence of events that occur in the story. The logical connection between the events and the characters, which enact the
story form an integral part of the plot of drama.

Characters: The characters that form a part of the story are interwoven with the plot of the drama. Each character in a play has a personality of its own and has a
distinct set of principles and beliefs. Actors who play various roles in a drama have the very important responsibility of bringing the characters to life.

Dialog: The story of any play is taken forward by means of the dialog. The story is narrated to the audiences through the dialog written by the playwright. The success
of a drama depends hugely on the contents of the dialog and the quality of dialog delivery by the actors of the play.

Music: This element of drama comprises the melody in the use of sounds and rhythm in dialogs as well as melodious compositions, which form a part of many plays.
The background score, the songs and the sound effects that are used in a play make up the musical element of drama. Music composers and lyricists sit together to
create music that can go well with the theme of the play. If the scenes of a play are accompanied by well-suited pieces of music, they become more effective on the
audiences. Hence, music forms a very important element of drama.

Visual Element: While the dialog and music constitute the audible aspect of drama, the visual element deals with the scenes, costumes and special effects used in it.
The visual element of drama, also known as the spectacle, renders a visual appeal to it. The costumes worn by the artists must suit the characters they are playing.
Besides, it is important for the scenes to be dramatic enough to hold the audiences to their seats. The special effects used in a play add to the visual appeal. Thus, the
spectacle forms an essential component of drama.

Apart from these elements as given by Aristotle, the structure of the story, a clever use of symbolism and contrast and stagecraft form some of the other important
elements of drama.

The structure of the story comprises the way in which the story is put forth to the audience. The way in which the characters play their roles and the framework of
the story constitute the drama structure. Direction is an essential constituent of a play. A well-directed story can help in fetching greater mass appeal. Stagecraft plays
a vital role in increasing the visual appeal of a drama. The use and organization of different stage properties and the stage setup constitute the stagecraft, which is an
essential component of a play.

The use of symbols implies the use of indirect suggestions in a drama. Logically used symbols help in making a scene more effective. The use of contrast is about using
stillness followed by activity or silence followed by noise. It can also mean the use of contrasting colors to add to the visual appeal. It can mean the clever use of
contrasting scenes following each other that enhance the dramatic element of a play.

An enthusiastic audience is perhaps one of the very essential elements of drama. A play needs a live and lively audience who can constructively criticize performances
and generously appreciate quality work.

Different Types of Drama

Comedy
When we talk about comedy, we usually refer to plays that are light in tone, and that typically have happy endings.  The intent of a comedic play is to make the
audience laugh. In modern theater, there are many different styles of comedy, ranging from realistic stories, where the humor is derived from real-life situations, to
outrageous slapstick humor.
Tragedy
Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama; however, its meaning has changed since the earliest days of staged plays. In ancient times, a tragedy was often an
historical dramas featuring the downfall of a great man. In modern theater, the definition is a bit looser. Tragedy usually involves serious subject matter and the death
of one or more main characters. These plays rarely have a happy ending.
Farce
Farce is a sub-category of comedy, characterized by greatly exaggerated characters and situations. Characters tend to be one-dimensional and often follow
stereotypical behavior. Farces typically involve mistaken identities, lots of physical comedy and outrageous plot twists.
Melodrama
Melodrama is another type of exaggerated drama. As in farce, the characters tend to be simplified and one-dimensional. The formulaic storyline of the classic
melodrama typically involves a villain a heroine, and a hero who must rescue the heroine from the villain.
Musical
In musical theater, the story is told not only through dialogue and acting but through music and dance. Musicals are often comedic, although many do involve serious
subject matter. Most involve a large cast and lavish sets and costumes.
As a student of drama it is important to be able recognize these different types of drama. Be aware that in modern theater, the lines between these types of drama
are often quite blurred, with elements of comedy, drama and tragedy residing in the same play.

Types of Drama:
1. Tragedy -- In general, tragedy involves the ruin of the leading characters. To the Greeks, it meant the destruction of some noble person through fate, To
the Elizabethans, it meant in the first place death and in the second place the destruction of some noble person through a flaw in his character. Today it
may not involve death so much as a dismal life, Modern tragedy often shows the tragedy not of the strong and noble but of the weak and mean,
2. Comedy -- is lighter drama in which the leading characters overcome the difficulties which temporarily beset them
 3. Problem Play -- Drama of social criticism discusses social, economic, or political problems by means of a play.
4. Farce -- When comedy involves ridiculous or hilarious complications without regard for human values, it becomes farce.
5. Comedy of Manners -- Comedy which wittily portrays fashionable life.
6. Fantasy -- A play sometimes, but not always, in comic spirit in which the author gives free reign to his fantasy, allowing things to happen without regard to
reality.
7. Melodrama -- Like farce, melodrama pays almost no attention to human values, but its object is to give a thrill instead of a laugh. Often good
entertainment, never any literary value.
Types of Drama of Historical Interest:
1. Medieval mystery plays -- dealt with Bible stories and allegorical mysteries.
2. Chronicle plays -- dealt directly with historical scenes and characters.
3. Masques -- were slight plays involving much singing and dancing and costuming. They were usually allegorical.

Drama is the most dependent of art forms -- director, actors, scene and costume designers must interpret before the audience does.
The Place of the Actor
1. The player should respect his play, his part, his fellow players, and his audience.
2. He should have imagination enough to create character for us instead of merely exploiting his own personality.
3. He should have a technical equipment in his 'voice, facial expression, bodily poise, gesture, and by-play that enables him to project the character as he
conceives it.

More Literary Terms

1. Allusion - an indirect reference by casually mentioning something that is generally familiar (In literature we find many allusions to mythology, the Bible, history,
etc.)
2. Aside - Lines whispered to the audience or to another character on stage (not meant to be heard by all the characters on stage)
3. Catastrophe - the final event in a drama (a death in a tragedy or a marriage in a comedy)
4. Comedy - A light play with a happy ending
5. Comic Relief - A bit of humor injected into a serious play to relieve the heavy tension of tragic events
6. Crisis or Climax - the turning point in the plot (This occurs when events develop either for or against the main character and a crucial decision must be made.)
7. Dramatic Irony - occurs when the audience knows something that the character on stage is not aware.
8. Foreshadow - Lines that give a hint or clue to future events (It doesn't tell the future but hints at it.)
9. Irony -
 A method of expression in which the ordinary meaning of the word is opposite to the thought in the speaker's mind
 Events contrary to what would be naturally expected
10. Metaphor - an implied comparison between two different things; identifying a person or object as the thing to which it is being compared.
Example: 'It is the East and Juliet is the sun.' - 'tossed on the sea of life'
11. Metonymy - a figure of speech whereby the name of a thing is substituted for the attribute which it suggests. Example: The pen (power of literature or the written
word) is mightier than the sword (force).
12. Nemesis - agent of retribution (the person who punishes)
13. Personification - giving the quality of life to inanimate things
14. Poetic Justice - The operation of justice in a play with fair distribution of rewards for good deeds and punishment for wrong doing
15. Simile - an expressed comparison between two different things using 'like' or 'as' - Example: 'eyes twinkle like stars' - 'as loud as the roaring sea'
16. Soliloquy - A single character on stage thinking out loud (a way of letting the audience know what is in the character's mind)
17. Tragedy - A serious play having an unhappy ending
18. Tragic Flaw - A character trait that leads one to his/her own downfall or destruction