MODULE 5:

DRAMA: Elements, Classification,

Techniques in Reading Drama

 DRAMA
is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and
performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an
imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a playwritten
for theater, television, radio, and film.
a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in pantomime
or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the
ones who perform in front of audience on the stage.
 DRAMA
The person who writes drama for stage directions is known
as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”
 DRAMA EXAMPLES:

1. Theatre Drama

- "A Midsummer
Night's Dream" by
William Shakespeare
 DRAMA EXAMPLES:

2. TV Drama
- “Bridgerton”
 DRAMA EXAMPLES:

3. Film Drama
- “Little Women”
 DRAMA EXAMPLES:

4. Radio Drama

- “War of the Worlds”

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
• LITERARY ELEMENTS
Literary elements include story line (plot),
character, story organization (beginning, middle,
end), plot structures (rising action, turning point,
falling action), conflict, suspense, theme, language,
style, dialogue, monologue.
• TECHNICAL ELEMENTS
Technical elements include scenery(set),
costumes, props, lights, sound, music, makeup.
ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
• PERFORMANCE ELEMENTS
Performance elements include acting (e.g.,
character motivation and analysis, empathy), speaking
(breath control, vocal expression and inflection,
projection, speaking style, diction), and nonverbal
expression (gestures, body alignment, facial
expression, character blocking, movement).
TYPES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE

is a type of drama that aims to make the audience laugh. Its

tone is light, and it mostly has a happy ending. Such tradition
came from the Ancient Greek theatre, where comedy first
emerged as a form of drama.
Comedy could be further divided into subcategories. Each
type of comedy has its own audience. Interestingly, such
preferences may also depend on the cultural background of
people.
 TYPES OF COMEDY

a. Situational Comedy

b. Romantic Comedy

c. Physical Comedy

d. Dark Comedy

e. Farce
 COMEDY EXAMPLE

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance

of Being Earnest is one of the
most successful plays ever
written in the English
language.
TYPES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE

Murders, deaths, insanity, and pain are among the most

common ideas in tragedies. Main characters usually have
weakness or defect that causes their downfall. Tragedy first
appeared in the theatre of Ancient Greece.
Aristotle believed that the main characteristic of tragedy was
the change of fortunes of the main character because of his
flaws. The philosopher also believed that such drama has to
implant a feeling of fear and pity in the audience.
 TRAGEDY EXAMPLE

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall

Apart is a classic tragedy set
in Africa, with themes taken
from Shakespeare and the
Bible.
TYPES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE

is a special kind of drama that combines the features of

tragedy and comedy. It means that such play may be sad but
will have a happy ending, or it may be serious with some
elements of humor emerging throughout the whole play.
Roman dramatist Plautus was the first to write a
tragicomedy and to use the term.
In his play Amphitryon, he used the lightheartedness of
comedy but chose gods and kings as the main characters. This
was quite revolutionary of him.
 TRAGICOMEDY EXAMPLE

The Winter’s Tale

(By William
Shakespeare)
TYPES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE

is the last one of the four types of drama. It is a kind of drama

in which everything is hyperbolized. Usually, themes
depicted in melodramas are simple and without any
unpredictable plot twists.
There are quite a lot of stereotypes in such dramas. However,
the main point of a melodrama is not to tell a story but to
awakenfeelings in the audience. They are mostly love stories
with beautiful heroines, charming heroes and scary villains.
TYPES OF DRAMA IN LITERATURE

originated much later than comedy, tragedy, and

tragicomedy. It first appeared in France at the end of the 18th
century. Later, it reached Britain and became one of the most
popular types of drama in the 19th century.
 MELODRAMA EXAMPLE

Still Life, Brief

Encounter (By Noel
Coward)
 TECHNIQUES IN READING THE
DRAMA
Preview the drama by reading the title, characters and
narrator. Read any background information provided.
Read drama once for overall meaning.
Visualize the characters. What does the person look
like? How do they sound? How do they deliver each
line?
Contemplate the setting to have a clear understanding
of the story's time and place. Try to imagine the sets
(scenery and props) as costumes.
 TECHNIQUES IN READING THE
DRAMA
Clarify words and phrases about which you are unsure
about by looking for context clues.
Sit in the Director’s Chair to visualize the play. You need
to think like the director to truly appreciate the
dramatic literature, the set and the movement.
Evaluate the drama's theme by asking what message is
the play trying to send or help you understand? Does it
relate to your life in any way?
 NOVEL
an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a
certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human
experience, usually through a connected sequence of events
involving a group of persons in a specific setting.
The novel is a genre of fiction.
The term novel is a truncation of the Italian word novella
(from the plural of Latin novellus, a late variant of novus,
meaning “new”).
 NOVEL
The components of novel is similar to the story, it has
characters, settings, plot and theme.
The most popular novel in the Philippines is the El
Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere which were written
by Dr. Jose Rizal during the Spanish Colonial Period.
 Novel Example:

NOLI ME TANGERE

EL FILIBUSTERISMO
ACTIVITY:
On a word document, the student must write the summary of
the drama they have read or watch.
They must write the summary in accordance to the Literary
Elements of the Drama: Characters, Settings, Plot, etc.
They must also answer the questions below:
Who were the main characters in the story?
Who is the narrator and what is the point of view?
Where is the setting of the story?
What is the tone and mood of the story?
What is the major conflict?
What is the type of drama that you have read?
What is the most important lesson that this drama taught you?
 Members:
Mangahas, Icee Khyl
De Vera, Kaye Aika
Sanchez, Sanchai