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77 Cards in this Set

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1.What is a Play?
A play is, essentially, what happens in theater. It is not a "thing," rather it is an "event."
2. What is a theater’s basic unit?
H: This has been the case since distant past to the present day
Theater basic unit, from the distant past to the present day, is the play. It is the theater's "drama," which is "action," and not just words in a book.
3. Action is not simply movement, it is:
Action is not merely movement, however. It is
passion & struggle
speech, argument &persuasion
threats
seduction
sound & music & dance
It comprises all forms of human energy.
4. What is the function of a play?
H: It simply doesn’t produce (or reproduce) live action
A play does not merely produce (or reproduce) live action. Drama frames and focuses the action around a particular conflict, this lends the action meaning and significance.
5. What is the importance of “Conflict” in a play?
H: Influence. Shape. Produce. Drama.
Conflict shapes the action into purposeful & meaningful human struggles.
This composition produces dramatic stories, against which we can judge our own struggles.
6. What features can a play present to us?
H: +/- models.
A play presents us with characters that can serve as role models, both positive and negative
7. A play is a piece of life, it is a_____ated, shaped, and framed to become a work of___. In addition, a play is also a piece of_______. Finally, a play is “____ing,” and those who create plays are “_______.” The theatrical play contains root notions of “_____'s play” in its acting-out and adventurism
A play is a piece of life, it is animated, shaped, and framed to become a work of art. In addition, a play is also a piece of literature. Finally, a play is “playing,” and those who create plays are “players.” The theatrical play contains root notions of “child’s play” in its acting-out and adventurism.
8. Like all play, drama is an exhibition, and so its players are ___________, these are not a fundamental ___________ _____________
Like all play, drama is an exhibition, and its players are, in a real sense, willingly exhibitionistic. These are not fundamentally literary characteristics
9. There are various ways to classify a play. What are the two ways of classification noted in the chapter?
H: Time period. Categorization.
Two of these are duration and genre. Although these classifications have been emphasized more in the past than they are today, they still play a part in our understand- ing of drama.
10. What question does “duration” initiate?
How long is a play?
11. How long is a play?
A play does not have a precisely fixed duration.
12. “Genre” is a more _______ means of ________ plays than is ____________.Therefore, to define a play’s genre is to categorize it, and to explore “_______________" it is.
H: Distinction between Genre & "length"
“Genre” is a more subjective means of classifying plays than is duration, so to define a play’s genre is to categorize it, to explore “what kind of play” it is.
13. Even though what defines a genre is not always absolute, how is it useful, and who is it useful to?
An identification of genres can generate useful distinctions not only for the student but also for the practitioner.
14. What are the two genres that have dominated dramatic criticism since ancient times?
Two genres are tragedy and comedy.
15. What is tragedy?
A tragedy is a serious play (although not necessarily devoid of humorous episodes) with a topic of universal human import as its theme.
16. What is the central character of a play called?
The protagonist.
17. During the play, the __________ undergoes a decline of ________, leading to suffering and ______.
H: This is for tragedy. Wealth.
During the play, the protagonist undergoes a decline of fortune, leading to suffering and death.
18. According to Aristotle, i) what moment
scene is integral to tragedy? ii) Why is it crucial for experiencing tragedy?
H: Recognition. Elicitation.
Integral to tragedy, according to Aristotle, is the protagonist’s period of insightful self-recognition of his flaw error and a consequent reversal of his or her fortunes.
The effect of a tragedy is for the protagonist’s self-recognition to elicit both pity and terror in the audience, which the audience overcomes through the process of catharsis. Thus, important for experiencing tragedy.
19. What is catharsis?
It is the purging of aroused emotions that stems from the protagonist’s self-recognition of his downfall.
20. What is Tragedy?
Tragedy is the oldest form of recorded drama. It probes archetypal problems of the human condition; always ending with:
death
dismemberment too (the case with ancient myths)
21. i) What are the literature characteristics of Tragedy? ii) What about the character?
H: Bold attack against.
Tragedy is neither pathetic nor sentimental, it describes a bold, aggressive, human attack against insurmountable odds.
Tragic protagonists are often flawed in some way, but they are leaders, not victims, of the play’s events
22. Who goes against the protagonist in a Greek play? And what is his/ her contribution to tragedy?
The antagonist (opposer of the action), he gives tragedy its fundamental conflict and character struggle.
23. The protagonists of ______ often go forth against __________ antagonists: _______, ghosts, fate, or the hardest of human _________.
The protagonists of tragedy often go forth against superhuman antagonists: gods, ghosts, fate, or the hardest of human realities.
24. i) Why should tragedies embolden humanity? ii) What is there to celebrate from a tragedy?
The protagonists of tragedy often go forth against superhuman antagonists: gods, ghosts, fate, or the hardest of human realities. A tragedy should therefore ennoble, not sadden, us.
Characters that we admire may fall but not before heroically challenging the elements, divinity, and death.
25. What is the difference between melodrama and tragedy?
Melodrama presents a simple and finite confrontation between good and evil rather than a complex exposition of universal human aspirations and sufferings
26. What is Melodrama? And what does it employ?
Melodramas employ every possible theatrical device to generate audience emotion. It aims to reflect reality, or real human issues at the most superficial and sentimental level.
It is suspenseful, plot-oriented drama featuring all-good heroes, all-bad villains, simplistic an naturalistic dialogue, soaring moral conclusions, and bravura acting. Only when taken to extreme is melodrama laughable, ex. mysteries & problem plays.
27. What is farce? And how is it used? What are some examples.
H: Wrong identities.
Farce is where we expect to find a wildly hilarious treatment of a trivial theme: mistaken identity, illicit infatuation, physical dissolution, monetary scheming.
28. Drama is _______, but plays, indeed all ______ events, are _________ actions.
Drama is action, but plays, indeed all theatre events, are structured actions.
29. Action provides excitement, but structure adds __________— the feeling that the ______ is consequential, not just ______, and will become even more ________ and meaningful as it goes on, heading as it must.
Action provides excitement, but structure adds momentum — the feeling that the action is consequential, not just random, and will become even more compelling and meaningful as it goes on, heading as it must.
30. What are the two ways plays can be analyzed structurally?
H: Orgo-Com
Plays can be analyzed structurally in two ways:
1) by their components (that is, plot, characters, theme, and so on)
2) by their order of organization (exposition, development, climax, and so on).
31. What are the components of a play that can be analyzed structurally?
Components is the following: plot, characters, theme, and so on.
32. What is the order of organization?
Organization is the following: exposition, development, climax, and so on.
33. What are Aristotle's components of Tragedy? Detail in order.
H: PCT DMS
1. plot
2. characters
3. theme
4. diction
5. music
6. spectacle, with some modification and elaboration.
34. What is the difference between “story” & “plot?”
Story is simply a narrative of what happens in the play, as might be described by someone who has seen it.
Plot refers to the mechanics of storytelling:
1) the sequence of the characters’ comings and goings
2) the timetable of the play’s events
3) the specific order of revelations, reversals, quarrels, discoveries & actions that take place onstage to further the plot.
35. What is story?
Story is simply a narrative of what happens in the play, as might be described by someone who has seen it.
36. What is plot? Provide specific examples.
H: Mechanics. Sequence. Timetable. Revelations.
Plot refers to the mechanics of storytelling:
1) the sequence of the characters’ comings and goings
2) the timetable of the play’s events
3) the specific order of revelations, reversals, quarrels, discoveries & actions that take place onstage to further the plot.
37. Plot is a structure of types of actions, what are they? Detail examples.
H: External & __________.
Plot is a structure of actions: both outer actions (such as Romeo stabbing Tybalt) and inner ones (such as Romeo falling in love with Juliet).
38. What are the two primary demands of a plot?
H: Integrity & credibility.
The primary demands of plot are logic and suspense.
39. What is the role of characters within a play? What do they take part in?
H: Lights, camera, ________!
The characters of a play are the human figures —the impersonated presences—who undertake the actions of the plot.
40. What is the fundamental demand of a play’s character?
H: Has to do with the audience.
The fundamental demand of a play’s characters is that they make the audience care.
41. Character _______ is what gives a play its psychological ________, its sensuality, and its w_____.
Character depth is what gives a play its psychological complexity, its sensuality, and its warmth.
42. What is the theme of a play?
The theme of a play is its abstracted intellectual content. It may be described as the play’s overall statement: its topic, central idea, or message, as the case may be.
43. “If you want to send a message,” one Broadway saying goes, “use e-_____.” Moreover, although the themes of plays address the c_____ questions of humanity and ________, a play’s theatrical impact hinges always on the _________’s engagement in its ______ and characterization.
“If you want to send a message,” one Broadway saying goes, “use e-mail.” Moreover, although the themes of plays address the central questions of society and humanity, a play’s theatrical impact hinges always on the audience’s engagement in its plot and characterization.
44. What is Aristotle’s fourth component?
Diction
45. What is diction & why is it important within a play?
Diction relates to the pronunciation of spoken dialogue, to the literary character of a play’s text.
It includes the play text’s:
1) tone
2) imagery
3) cadence
4) articulation,
5) use of literary forms and figures such as verse, rhyme, metaphor & epigram.
46. What is Aristotle’s fifth component of theater, and what does it tell us about Aristotle’s time?
Music
47. What is Aristotle’s last component of Theater?
Spectacle is Aristotle’s last component.
48. What is spectacle? Provide examples.
H: To see.
Spectacle encompasses the visual aspects of production: scenery, costumes, lighting, makeup, properties, and the overall look of the theater and stage.
Spectacle refers to “something seen.”
49. Theatre is as much a _______ experience as it is an aural, emotional, and _______ experience: the ancient Greeks clearly had this in mind when they chose the name _________ (“seeing place”) to designate the site of their _________.
Theatre is as much a visual experience as it is an aural, emotional, and intellectual experience: the ancient Greeks clearly had this in mind when they chose the name theatron (“seeing place”) to designate the site of their performances.
50. What is the seventh component Aristotle apparently never saw reason to consider?
Theatrical convention.
51. What is the importance of theatrical convention?
The relationship between the audience and the actor is based on tacit understandings. These understandings affect the construction of the play, like when the lights of off and the curtain falls, the audience know the show has ended.
52. Over the years, some common conventions of the Western stage have included the following:
1) Aside: this is when a character addresses the audience, while the other characters are presumed not to hear this.
2) Time has elapsed: an example is when an actor leaves the scene and comes back older.
3) Dream state: the words we hear are to be considered his or her thoughts, not anyone’s speech.
53. What does convention allow?
H: Economic efficiency. Shorthand.
They permit shorthand communication with the audience, without the encumbrance of extensive physical elaboration or acting out. Ex) Simple light shifts used to change the environment; no need for moving half ton scene materials.
54. According to Aristotle, drama has three segments, what are they?
He tells us that drama has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
55. The order of a play can be divided into three major groupings, what are they?
These individual features can be divided into three major groupings: the preplay, the play proper, and the postplay.
56. What is preplay?
The events that take place before the play proper begins are referred to as the preplay.
57. Since "theater going," is not a human necessity, what must people involved in theoretical work do for this tradition to survive?
Theatre is not a human necessity. Therefore, if it is to survive, the theatre must go out and recruit attention. In every era, theatre has had the responsibility of gathering its audience.
58. What is transition, and why is it important?
Once the audience members are seated, they are still preoccupied with their daily struggles. Theatre must shift the audience’s awareness from real life to stage life, and must do so in a smooth and agreeable fashion.
59. The theatre audience is aware of _____, for the seating area is fully illuminated and audience members are free to greet and chat with each other. Theatre, we must always remember, is a live ___, and part of its ________ comes from the fact that the ______ is part of the action and will share its responses to the _____ — and to each other — with (one hopes) laughter, sighing, and applause.
The theatre audience is aware of itself, for the seating area is fully illuminated and audience members are free to greet and chat with each other. Theatre, we must always remember, is a live art, and part of its liveliness comes from the fact that the audience is part of the action and will share its responses to the actors — and to each other — with (one hopes) laughter, sighing, and applause.
60. What is “play proper,” and how does it contrast to other theater events like performance art and stand-up?
The play proper almost always contains a structured sequence of identifiable elements: exposition, conflict, climax, and denouement.
This in contrast to other theater events like performance art and stand-up comedy.
61. What are the structured sequence of identifiable elements that characterize “play proper?”
Play proper almost always contains a structured sequence of identifiable elements, namely, exposition, conflict, climax, and denouement.
62. What is exposition and how is it used?
It is a useful term, referring to the background information the audience must have in order to understand what’s going on in the action of a play.
63. The Conflict is the time when the character to enter shouting, “The house is on fire!” It is a truism that drama requires conflict. The word “drama,” when used in daily life, implies a situation fraught with conflict.
The Conflict is the time when the _______ to enter shouting, “The house is on fire!” It is a ______ that ______ requires conflict. The word “drama,” when used in daily life, implies a situation fraught with ________.
64. What are the ways conflict transpire in a play?
H: Characters & situations.
Conflict may be set up between characters as well as within them
65. How is conflict important for the relationship between the audience and the character?
Whatever the case, conflict throws characters into relief and permits the audience to see deeply into the human personality. To see a character at war with herself, or in confrontation with another, is to see how that character works, and this is the key to our caring.
66. What is the theme of a play?
H: conflict.
The theme of a play is ordinarily a simple abstraction of its central conflict.
67. How does a playwright introduce conflict early on in the play?
The playwright introduces conflict early in a play, often by means of an “inciting incident.”
"Inciting Incident" is one character poses a conflict or confrontation either to another character or to himself.
68. How does "conflict" unfold within a play?
Once established, conflict is intensified to crisis, usually by a series of incidents, investigations, revelations, and confrontations.
69. The climax _______ cannot be intensified indefinitely. In a ____, as in life, when conflict becomes insupportable, something has to give. Thus every _____, be it comic, tragic, farcical, or melodramatic, culminates in some sort of _______ e________.
The climax conflict cannot be intensified indefinitely. In a play, as in life, when conflict becomes insupportable, something has to give. Thus every play, be it comic, tragic, farcical, or melodramatic, culminates in some sort of dramatic explosion.
70. What is catharsis?
Aristotle describes it to be the dramatic explosion that takes place in a tragedy. It is a cleansing and purification process that the audience embarks with the character of a play.
71. When is climax reached within a play?
H. Extreme.
For any dramatic form, the climax is the conflict of a play taken to its most extreme
72. Since a continuation of the conflict becomes unbearable, impossible: some sort of change is mandated. How does this change take effect within a play? What characterizes this effect?
H: Recognition. Etc.
Climaxes inevitably contain elements of recognition and reversal if not of catharsis, and usually the major conflicts of a play are resolved by one or more of these elements.
73. The climax is followed and the play is concluded by a _________.
Denouement.
74. What is the purpose behind denouement?
H: Clarity.
A denouement provides some lucidity concerning the problems raised by the play; some vision or metaphor of a deeper and more permanent understanding.
75. What is “post play?”
Events that take place after the play ends are referred to as post play.
76. What is the Curtain Call?
It is the last staged element, where the actors bow and the audience applauds.
The curtain call remains a time in which the actors show their respect for the audience that patronizes them. The curtain call liberates the audience from the world of the play.
77. What is the importance of the aftermath, which is criticism?
For the theatre to be a place of public stimulation (both intellectual and emotional), it should be expected that the stimulation generates both animated discussions and illuminating commentaries.