LIST OF DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES

Characterisation how a character is portrayed by a playwright

Rhythm how quickly / slowly a line is delivered, how quickly / slowly the plot moves, how quickly / slowly
characters exchange dialogue with each other.

Conflict

Tension development of suspense and driver of plot. Conflict (between characters, between ideas,
between the known and unknown) builds tension.

Dramatic structure the structure of the play and the composers decision to place scenes in a certain
order. Extremely important and oft-overlooked; dramatic structure provides the key to understanding where
events in the play fit in relation to each other, and thus it creates meaning. e.g. Hamlets dramatic structure
slowly fades in intensity, ending in what some see as an irresolution; how does this inform our
understanding of the play / of Hamlet?

Setting

Stage directions

Catharsis purgation of emotions, and recognition of wrongdoing, through extreme change in emotion,
that results in renewal and restoration. Hamlet undergoes a subdued catharsis when he quietly accepts
death, which the audience vicariously experiences.

Symbol

Motif a recurring symbol e.g. the mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird. Or, a collection of symbols, ideas
and/or items that emphasise a certain theme.

Foreshadowing

Pathos appeal to the emotions of characters / audience. Soap operas use lots of this, albeit badly.

Dramatic irony when the audience / characters are privy to some information that another character is
not.

Subplot a non-central plot that goes on in tandem with the central plot. Used to highlight, parallel or
contrast the main plot and its characters.

Tone this is a weak technique. If you do use it, use an adjective (e.g. Ophelias dejected tone) and then
link it to another dramatic element (e.g. defuses tension by )

Deus ex machina a sudden resolution to a situation or dilemma. Think of the Lego Movie when a
spaceship saves Emmet and friends.

Foil a character who contrasts with another, in order to highlight the others attributes. E.g. Voldemort is a
foil to Dumbledore.

Imagery

Aside a line spoken by a character, directed to audience, unheard by other characters on stage

Mood and atmosphere the difference is minimal. The general feeling of a scene. A revelation of a secret
may create a tense, awkward atmosphere.

Soliloquy an extended speech by one character that reveals their thoughts

DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES ARE WHAT GIVES Hamlet MEANING