Name: Florence Delector Course: Ab Political Science 2

ACTIVITY 5: LITERARY ANALYSIS

Aristotle 1) author of “Poetics”

Plot 2) essential parts of a tragedy
Character 3)
Song or melody 4)
Diction 5)
Thought 6)
Hamartia 7) Greek term for tragic flaw/error
Pity 8) two tragic emotions
Fear 9)
Polybus 10) foster father of Oedipus
Katharsis 11) the end/purpose of tragedy
Theme 12) essential components of drama
Plot 13)
Characters 14)
Dialogue 15)
Setting 16)
Performance 17)
Music 18)
Spectacle 19)
Sophocles 20) author of “Oedipus Rex”
Lit. 2 IbsenWilliams
Final Term
STUDENT: _Florence Delector AB POLSCI 2
Instructions: 1) Read learning materials on drama and Aristotle.
2) Answer the following and submit at CASE dropbox.
3) Deadline: May 23, 2022
4) Do not send back learning materials, only exam sheet.
EXAM: ARISTOTLE’S “POETICS” & Elements of Drama 20 pts.
Peripeteia 1) Greek term for reversal of fortune
Comedy 2) drama that aims to make the audience laugh.
Theme 3) central idea of a play or drama
Downstage 4) part of the stage closest to the audience
Imitating an action 5) Aristotle holds that tragedy is made according to this process.
Flawed 6) social status of a tragic hero
Dialogue 7) term given to the conversation between two actors
Spectacle 8) visual elements of a play including sets, costumes, special
effects, etc.
Action 9) According to Aristotle, tragedy is the imitation of _________.
Catharsis 10) frequent ending of a tragic hero
Oedipus Rex 11) iconic tragedy according to Aristotle
Performed 12) Drama is first written, then __________ on the stage.
Pity and fear 13) two emotions aroused by Greek tragedy
Plautus 14) known to be the first to write a tragicomedy
Melodrama 15) kind of drama that originated in France
Katharsis 16) the end result of tragedy according to Aristotle
Eight (8) 17) number of elements of drama according to Aristotle
Plot 18) the sequence of events in a play
Right 19) Left of the audience is what of the actor?
Hamartia 20) Greek term for tragic flaw
RESEARCH ACTIVITY: 1) Submit a one-page summary of “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen. This is the
prototype of modern drama as compared to classical drama like “Oedipus Rex’ and “Romeo and
Juliet.”

“A Doll’s House”
by Henrik Ibsen

Nora Helmer once secretly borrowed a substantial sum of money to help her husband recover from
a serious illness. She never told him about the loan and has been quietly repaying it in small installments
from her household allowance. Her husband, Torvald, thinks she is careless and childlike, and often calls
her his doll. When he is appointed bank director, his first act is to relieve a man who was once disgraced for
having forged his signature on a document.
This man, Nils Krogstad, who works at the bank is the person from whom Nora has borrowed her
money. It is then revealed that she forged her father's signature in order to get the money. Krogstad
threatens to reveal Nora's crime and thus disgrace her and her husband unless Nora can convince her
husband not to fire him. Nora tries to influence her husband, but he thinks of Nora as a simple child who
cannot understand the value of money or business. Thus, when Torvald discovers that Nora has forged her
father's name, he is ready to disclaim his wife even though she had done it for him. Later when all is solved,
Nora sees that her husband is not worth her love and she leaves him.
2) What are the differences of character in “A Doll’s House” from “Romeo and Juliet” in terms of (a)kind or
social status of character/s, and b) emotions evoked.
(a) The difference between the characters in terms of social status: “A Doll’s House”; the
characters are having a financial crisis despite of having the money to live comfortably due to unwanted
occurrence of problem into their lives, both showed flaws during and before the occurrence of such. One is
selfish, one is materialistic; they are well off yet, not happy together. In the “Romeo and Juliet”, two families
are prominent and wields power which is recognized by the people. There were no mentioned difficulties
regarding money. Only the conflict of power between two clans. The characters are happy together but,
sadly everyone wants them to be apart due to grudges they did not partake.
(b) In the story of “A Doll’s House”, I feel disappointed. The characters’ relationship was not strong.
They are already married yet, does not show a deep bond due to the husband treating his wife like an
object; and the wife, with a constant fear towards his husband. There are no hindrances aside from the
behavior they held against each other. On the other hand, “Romeo and Juliet”, the two characters are too
much young and in love yet, cannot be together due to families disputes. Their love is like a wind that
formed its own storm – they were struck by it. It was a bitter end. Both took their own lives because of
intense passion for love. Thus, it was a tragic love. I feel like, they are burning of love, and it burns them at
the end.
3) “A Doll’s House” is a comedy or tragedy? Explain.
“A Doll’s House”, is a tragedy because it only appeals to pity and fear throughout the story. The
wife was too afraid from her husband, not having a safe feeling beside him due to their unhealthy
relationship. Her husband even treats her like a doll which shows how undeserving he is for her love. They
did not reconcile, there was no happy ending to their relationship. Nonetheless, Nora was able to recognize
her worth – that she is not a mere doll. Thus, it was still a valuable end.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: 1) Submit a one-page summary of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee

Williams. This is the prototype of modern American drama.

“A Streetcar Named Desire”

by Tennessee Williams.

The play is the story of a woman named Blanche Dubois, who after losing her family home, Belle
Reve moves in with her younger sister, Stella in the New Orleans French Quarter. Blanche and Stella's
husband, Stanley take an immediate dislike to one another. Having come from an upper class family,
Blanche finds Stanley rough and low class while he is suspicious of her loss of her family money and finds
her stuffy and uptight. Blanche soon finds that her sister's marriage is an unhappy one and that Stanley
regularly beats Stella. Blanche attempts to convince her sister to leave her husband but is dismissed off
hand.
Meanwhile, Blanche begins to flirt with a friend of Stanley's named Mitch whom she seems to be
developing a very genuine relationship with. However, this new love is tested when Stanley beings to revel
the secrets of Blanche's past sexual promiscuity to Mitch. Blanche becomes angry and confronts Mitch
while drunk. There is a heated argument during which he physically overpowers and rapes her. The
combination of the assault and Blanche's already delicate mental state begin to drive her insane and Stella,
disbelieving her sister's story about the rape, decides to move her to a mental asylum in order to obtain
proper care. Blanche goes to the asylum without much to-do and without looking back.

2) What are the differences of character in “A Streetcar Named Desire” from “A Doll’s House” in terms of (a)
kind or social status of character/s, and b) emotions evoked.
(a) “A streetcar Named Desire”, the characters are not poor nor rich. Their behavior behaves in a
realistic manner with a bunch of flaws. They are distrustful, masochist, and narcissists. In “A Doll’s House”,
the characters have shown a potential of a higher status in life yet. Given their well-off living, it shouldn’t be
hard. Indeed, the greatest enemy is ourselves. The man wasn’t inlove, but obsessed. The woman is
impulsive yet, a masochist for love.
(b) “A streetcar Named Desire”, is much more frustrating to digest than the “A Doll’s House”
because of the characters showing no self-worth. What I develop while reading is anger to all of them. They
were all lacking of growth which is why misunderstandings aroused. Blanche’s younger sister even
invalidated her mental problem. Her supposedly boyfriend molested her for the things that could be
explained calmly. Even, the husband of her sister is a wife-beater. Meanwhile, “A Doll’s house” is tolerable
since the main heroine finds a way to free herself from pain. She is flawed, even committed forgery yet was
able to redeem herself. Her husband is someone to loath for; he takes people as things. No one deserved
to be treated like what he did to Nora.

3) “A Streetcar Named Desire” is a comedy or tragedy? Explain

It is tragedy, in my viewpoint. Blanche had taken a massive pain not only emotionally, and mentally
but also physically. Nothing hurts more than not being trusted by the people you love and care about.
Imagine, she just wanted to secure her sister’s wellness. Yet, she was rejected – even discarded Blanche’s
truth for she is too blind to see. At the end, it appears to me that Blanche was too tired to argue nor to fight
for her life anymore. As if, she accepted her fate. And that, there’s no hope.