Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 5

WHAT IS A PLAY? PLOT 1. A PLAY IS A STORY. IT MUST HAVE A PLOT. a. Aristotle: The Plot.

is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of the tragedy.(Poetics). b. A Plot is a series of events of a kind so arranged as to arrest our attention and hold our interest by creating and maintaining suspense. c. Suspense is created by conflict, an opposition between two forces, with the outcome uncertain. It is important the two forces must be well-matched but not equal. It must be like a good tug-of-war.

2. TYPES OF PLOTS a. Quest: the protagonist searches for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible. Don Quixote, The Grapes of Wrath, Jason and the Golden Fleece, Treasure of the Sierra Madre b. Adventure: resembles Quest, but it is mostly action. The focus is the journey, not the person making the journey. The hero can stay the same from beginning to end. Gullivers Travels, Grimms Fairy Tales. c. Pursuit: the literary version of hide-andseek. The chase is more important than the people who take parting it. The Fugitive, Duel, Les Miserable, Jaws, Moby Dick. d. Rescue: similar to Quest, Adventure, and Pursuit, but this involves a triangle of characters: the protagonist, antagonist, and the victim, and relies on action. King Kong, Silence of the Lambs, The Magnificent Seven.

e.

Escape: a protagonist is unjustly confined against his will and wants to escape. The hero is usually morally right. Papillion, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Great Escape. f. Revenge: an injustice is done and retaliation is required, retaliation that is outside the law. Hamlet, Death Wish, Medea. g. The Riddle: or Whodunit or What-is-It? Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 2001, A Space Odyssey, The Maltese Falcon, And Then There Were None. h. Rivalry: two people have the same goal but each has his own motivation. Billy Budd, The Old Man and the Sea, The Odd Couple. i. Underdog: a form of rivalry but the protagonist is unequal tot he antagonist and is faced with overwhelming odds. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Cinderella,. j. Temptation: to be induced or persuaded to do something that is unwise, wrong or immoral. A character plot. Fatal Attraction.

k. Metamorphosis: a magical plot about change where the physical characteristics of the character actually change. The change is usually the result of a curse. The Wolf man, Dracula, Beauty and the Beast. l. Love: Boy meets girl, BUTforbidden love, social class character development.. Romeo and Juliet, The Hunchback of Notre differences, age differences, racial differences. Definitely based on Dame. m. Sacrifice: giving up something for love, honor, charity, or the sake of humanity. On the Waterfront, High Noon, Casablanca. n. Discovery: the story revolves more around finding out about the self. It is the most character oriented. Death of a Salesman, Oedipus Rex, 3. THE SOURCE OF CONFLICT MUST CONTAIN ENOUGH COMPLICATIONS TO KEEP THE STORY GOING, TO KEEP UP

SUSPENSE. CONFLICT CREATES THE DRAMAS UNITY. IT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF CONFLICT WHEN THE PLAY OPENS THAT MAKES THE AUDIENCE WAIT WITH EXPECTATIONS. CHARACTERIZATIONS

Вам также может понравиться