Characteristics of a Dramatic Work

Understanding the characteristics of a dramatic work is essential for analysing and interpreting a play. These characteristics help you grasp the deeper meanings, themes, and structures within a play. In this section, we’ll focus on social, cultural, and historical context, genre and style, and dramatic structure.

Social, Cultural, and Historical Context

Social Context

Definition: Social context refers to the way the society in which the play is set influences its characters, themes, and the overall narrative. It encompasses issues like class, gender roles, relationships, economic conditions, and social norms.

Importance: A playwright often uses social context to reflect or critique the values and struggles of a particular group or society.

Example: In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, the social context of post-war America, with its focus on the American Dream, is crucial to understanding the protagonist’s disillusionment and struggles.

Cultural Context

Definition: Cultural context is the set of shared beliefs, customs, and practices within a community or country, often shaping the themes and characters of a play. This could include religion, art, language, traditions, and moral values.

Importance: Cultural context shapes how characters interact with one another and can provide deeper meanings to their actions. It also helps an audience understand why characters make certain choices or react in particular ways.

Example: In An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley, the play reflects the class divisions and attitudes of the early 20th-century British society, particularly focusing on how different classes view responsibility.

Historical Context

Definition: Historical context refers to the time period in which the play is written or set. This can influence the characters' actions, conflicts, and the overall themes of the play.

Importance: Understanding the historical background of a play can offer insights into the issues, events, or ideologies that are relevant at the time.

Example: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare reflects the historical context of Renaissance Italy, with its themes of family honour, feuding, and social expectations.

Genre and Style

Genre

Definition: Genre refers to the category or type of play. It helps to set expectations about the tone, themes, and structure. Common dramatic genres include:

Tragedy: A serious play that typically ends in catastrophe for the main character, often due to a fatal flaw or external circumstances.

Example: Macbeth by William Shakespeare, where Macbeth’s ambition leads to his downfall.

Comedy: A lighter, often humorous play that ends in resolution and happiness, typically with misunderstandings or mistaken identities.

Example: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, which features love triangles and magic, ending with marriages and harmony.

Drama: Plays that focus on serious, often realistic themes and issues, without the overt humour of comedy.

Example: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, which explores complex issues of mental health, desire, and the fragility of identity.

Farce: A subgenre of comedy that exaggerates situations, characters, and actions for comedic effect, often involving improbable scenarios and slapstick humour.

Example: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Style

Definition: The style of a play refers to how the story is told, including the language, tone, pacing, and level of realism.

Naturalism: A style of theatre that aims to create a realistic depiction of everyday life. It typically focuses on ordinary characters and realistic settings.

Example: The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, where the characters’ everyday lives and complex emotional relationships are explored in a detailed, realistic way.

Expressionism: A style that focuses on representing emotions and ideas through distorted, exaggerated depictions. The setting, characters, and events may appear surreal.

Example: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, which uses symbolism and stylised settings to depict the emotional conflict of the protagonist.

Surrealism: A style where reality is distorted and the world of the play often becomes dreamlike or illogical.

Example: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, where the absurdity of life and human existence is explored through abstract and non-traditional dialogue.

Dramatic Structure

The structure of a play refers to the way it is organised, including how the plot unfolds. This is commonly broken down into several key stages:

Exposition

Definition: The beginning of the play, where the background information is introduced. This includes setting the scene, introducing characters, and presenting the main conflict or issue the characters will face.

Importance: The exposition sets up the context for the audience, helping them understand the world of the play.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet, the exposition introduces the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, setting the stage for the tragic love story.

Rising Action

Definition: The series of events that build tension and complicate the situation for the characters. These events create conflict and push the characters toward the climax.

Importance: The rising action increases the stakes and develops the main themes and character relationships, maintaining audience engagement.

Example: In An Inspector Calls, the rising action occurs as the Inspector interrogates the Birlings one by one, revealing secrets and building suspense.

Climax

Definition: The turning point or most intense moment in the play. This is when the main conflict reaches its peak and the outcome begins to be determined.

Importance: The climax is crucial because it represents the moment of greatest tension and often leads to a resolution or irreversible change.

Example: In Macbeth, the climax occurs when Macbeth faces the forces of his enemies, leading to his downfall.

Falling Action

Definition: The events that happen after the climax, where the consequences of the climax unfold. The tension begins to decrease, and the plot starts moving towards resolution.

Importance: The falling action shows the consequences of the protagonist’s actions and decisions, and starts to tie up loose ends.

Example: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the falling action shows the resolution of the romantic entanglements and the return to order in the characters' relationships.

Resolution (Denouement)

Definition: The final part of the play, where conflicts are resolved, and the narrative comes to a close. The resolution provides closure to the audience, answering lingering questions.

Importance: The resolution brings the narrative to a satisfying conclusion, whether it’s a happy or tragic ending.

Example: In Death of a Salesman, the resolution involves Willy Loman’s tragic end, which highlights the play’s themes of illusion versus reality.

By understanding these characteristics, you will be able to better analyse and interpret the dramatic works you study, recognising how context, genre, style, and structure all contribute to the impact of a play.