Dramatic Structure in Plays

Dramatic Structure

• A drama or play is a story acted out on stage by actors in front of an audience.
• Dramatic structure refers to the way a play is divided into parts, similar to a book with sections and chapters.

The Prologue

• A prologue is a brief introduction to the play, providing important background information about characters and their situations.
• It can introduce main characters, describe their circumstances, or highlight themes of the play.
• The prologue is delivered by an actor or group of actors before the action of the play begins.
• Not all plays contain prologues.

Acts in a Play

• An act is a large section or division of a play.
• Plays can have any number of acts (e.g., Romeo and Juliet has five acts, A Raisin in the Sun has three acts).
• The action of the play occurs within the acts.
• Acts typically contain a character or characters with some type of conflict to resolve.
• The conflict can be internal (mental struggle) or external (struggle against others, society, or nature).
• The play's action builds towards a climax and ultimately resolves the conflict.

Scenes in a Play

• A scene is a small section of the play, a division of an act.
• Scenes are like chapters in a textbook, with each scene telling a small part of the story.
• There is no set number of scenes in an act, but typically two to three scenes per act.
• Scenes usually change when there is a change in setting or focus of the story.
• Physical transformations of the stage's setting or lighting can indicate a change in scenes.

Epilogue

• An epilogue is a short conclusion to a play that occurs after the main action has ended.
• It is similar to a post-game show, with a character addressing the audience directly.
• Epilogues were popular in Shakespeare's time, but not all plays have epilogues.
• In an epilogue, a character may beg the audience's pardon, ask for applause, and provide a final thought or message.