Deck 7: Dramas Conventions

Question 1

Stage directions are written into the script by contemporary playwrights. In Shakespeare's time scripts were not printed as they are today and very few copies were in distribution. What did Shakespeare and his contemporaries do instead of writing out stage direction and descriptions. Give two examples from any Shakespeare play to support your answer.

Answer 1

During Shakespeare's time, scripts were not printed in the same way as they are today, and very few copies were in distribution. Instead of writing out stage directions and descriptions, Shakespeare and his contemporaries relied on the use of dialogue, character actions, and occasional notes to the actors to indicate how a scene should be performed.

One example of this can be seen in Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth enters reading a letter from her husband. The dialogue and her actions within the scene indicate her growing ambition and desire for power, without the need for explicit stage directions.

Another example can be found in "Romeo and Juliet." In Act 2, Scene 2, the famous balcony scene, there are no specific stage directions for Romeo to climb up to the balcony. Instead, the dialogue and character actions convey the movement and emotions of the characters in the scene.

These examples demonstrate how Shakespeare and his contemporaries relied on the text and the performers' interpretations to convey the necessary stage directions and descriptions without explicitly writing them out in the script.

Question 2

Plays that have a climactic structure are made up of six dramatic conventions. Name and describe these six conventions and give an example of each from Macbeth or a play that you have viewed or discussed in class.

Answer 2

The six dramatic conventions of a climactic structure are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.

1. Exposition: This is the introduction of the characters, setting, and conflict of the play. In Macbeth, the exposition occurs when the witches make their prophecy to Macbeth and Banquo, setting the stage for the conflict to come.

2. Rising Action: This is the series of events that lead to the climax of the play. In Macbeth, the rising action includes Macbeth's growing ambition and the murders he commits to fulfill the witches' prophecy.

3. Climax: This is the turning point of the play, where the conflict reaches its peak. In Macbeth, the climax occurs when Macbeth murders King Duncan, solidifying his descent into tyranny.

4. Falling Action: This is the aftermath of the climax, where the consequences of the characters' actions become clear. In Macbeth, the falling action includes Macbeth's increasingly brutal rule and the efforts of the other characters to overthrow him.

5. Resolution: This is the point in the play where the conflict is resolved. In Macbeth, the resolution comes when Macbeth is defeated and order is restored to Scotland.

6. Denouement: This is the final outcome or unraveling of the plot. In Macbeth, the denouement occurs when Malcolm is crowned the new king and peace is restored to the kingdom.

These dramatic conventions work together to create a climactic structure in a play, building tension and resolving the conflict in a satisfying way for the audience.

Question 3

In the opening stage directions for A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams gives a great deal of information. What parts would be relevant to what an audience sees and hears in the first few minutes of the play?

Answer 3

In the opening stage directions for A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams provides relevant information for what an audience sees and hears in the first few minutes of the play. This includes the setting of the play, which is described as a "raffish charm" and "faded white wood" of a two-story building on a street in New Orleans. The sounds of a piano playing blues and the street vendors calling out their wares are also mentioned, setting the scene for a bustling and vibrant city. Additionally, the character descriptions and their actions are given, such as the "gaudy seed-bearer" Blanche DuBois and the "primitive images" of Stanley Kowalski. These details give the audience a clear picture of the environment and the characters, setting the tone for the rest of the play.

Question 4

The dramatic convention of exposition refers to

A) A turning point in the play
B) The highest point of intensity in a play
C) A crisis
D) Information the audience gets about the characters

Question 5

In Shakespeare's theatre, information about the time and place were frequently conveyed by

A) A narrator
B) A stage manager
C) A minor character
D) All of these

Question 6

The Trojan Women was written by

A) Aeschylus
B) Euripides
C) Sophocles
D) Aristophanes

Question 7

Modern plays use exposition to reveal

A) Thought, character, meaning and language
B) Who, what, when and where
C) Conflict, crisis, confrontation and resolution
D) How, why and when

Question 8

In the middle of the play when unexpected events occur it is referred to as

A) Climax
B) Exposition
C) Complication
D) Point of Attack

Question 9

The inciting incident, where the story is taken up, is referred to as the

A) Point of Entry
B) Point of Honor
C) Point of No Return
D) Point of Attack

Question 10

Macbeth is the last Shakespeare's four great tragedies, which include

A) Hamlet, Othello and Merchant of Venice
B) Hamlet, Othello and Romeo and Juliet
C) Hamlet, Othello and King Lear
D) Hamlet, Othello and Julius Caesar

Question 11

The point of the play that restores balance and order is called the

A) Resolution
B) Reiteration
C) Restitution
D) Repetition

Question 12

Within the world of the play, time is not

A) Expanded
B) Compressed
C) Fixed
D) Malleable

Question 13

The play-within-the-play device has been used by many playwrights, including

A) Michael Frayn
B) Peter Weiss
C) Bertold Brecht
D) All of these

Question 14

Early in a play when the story is taken up is the point of attack.

Question 15

The resolution brings a sense of completed or suspended action.

Question 16

Modern stage directions are frequently added later, by the Stage Manager

Question 17

Noises Off makes use of the convention of the play-within-the-play.

Question 18

Exposition is dialogue that reveals a secret, or exposes, one of the characters.

Question 19

The resolution of the play becomes unavoidable as a result of the crisis.

Question 20

The dramatic device of telling two stories at the same time is called a "mousetrap" play.