Dramatic Structure in Plays

Study Notes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.