Elements of Drama (Play)

This page will tell you about the basic elements of drama.

A drama, also known as a play, is a form of literature written intentionally for

theatrical performance. Most of the parts in a drama are consisted of scripted dialogues,
or only the acting in some cases, between characters intended to be performed by actors
and actresses to move the story along. There are six main elements of drama which
serve as the basis of producing a successful play. These essential elements of drama
include the plot of the story, the theme, the genre in which the story belongs, the
characters, the setting, and the audience. Altogether, they provide a building block by
which dramatic works can be analyzed and evaluated. By knowing and using the
elements of drama, the skills needed in creating a successful performance, as well as the
skills required to analyze a drama, could be developed.

The followings are the elements of drama and their brief description:

Plot

Plot, referring to the basic storyline of the play, is the structure of a play which tells
what happens as the story goes. The plot structure can be divided into six stages:
exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.

o The exposition is simply an introductory part that provides the background

information needed to properly understand the story.
o The inciting incident, or conflict, is the event that sets the action of the play in
motion. It is what gets the story going.
o The rising action is a series of events, including complications and discoveries,
which follow the inciting incident and create the dramatic climax of a plot.
o The climax is the turning point, or the peak, of a plot which holds an utmost
emotional intensity of the play.
o The falling action is a series of events following the climax that leads to the
solution of the conflicts.
o The denouement serves as the conclusion of the plot in which the conflicts are
unraveled. It is the ending scene of the drama.

Character

Characters are the people, or sometimes animals, subjected in the drama, and are
portrayed by the actors and actresses in the play. They are one of the main components
that move the action of the play forward. Characters can be categorized into three types
according to the roles they play. The main character of the play is known as the
protagonist. The antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist. The other
characters that are neither the protagonist nor the antagonist are called the secondary
characters. They may have a major part or a minor involvement in the drama.
 Setting

The setting is the place, together with other conditions, such as time and the
environment, involved in which the events occur. The setting in the drama can be
presented through the visual element deals with the scenes, costumes and special effects
used in it. The setting can as well be enhanced by using viewable elements, sound
effects, and music.

Theme

The theme refers to the message that is intended to be expressed through the story. In
other word, it is the main idea or the lesson to be learned from the play.

Genre

Genre is the type of play. The examples of genre in which the play can be classified
include tragedy, comedy, romantic, mystery, and historical play.

Audience

Audience is a group of people who watch the play. Audience can be said to be the most
important element of drama to be considered about, since it is the audience that
determine whether the play is successful or not. Also, many playwrights write the plot
of the drama with a great concern regarding to their groups of audience rather than their
own interests.

What is a Play?

Play is a literary form of writing for theatre, which narrates a story with elements of conflicts,
tensions, and actions through dialogues of characters. For dramatic significance, it is divided into
acts and scenes. The writers present their feelings, emotions, and ideas through their characters
and make them speak.

The playwright uses various dramatic elements to create more profound meanings and enhance
understanding of the audience. Also, they insert text, apart from the actual dialogues of the
characters, to unfold the description of characters on stage, their natural action, and psychological a

Etymologically, „play‟ is derived from the Greek word „paizo‟ which means “to act” or “to perform.”

Elements of Play

A play has certain elements such as,

1. Plot: It refers to the order of the events that occur in the play.
 2. Characters: The characters form a crucial part of the story and are interwoven with the plot
of the play.
3. *Dialogue: It refers to the conversation or interactions between the characters in the play.
4. Setting: It refers to the time and place where a story is set. It is one of the important parts of
the play.
5. *Conflict: It refers to the challenge main characters need to solve to achieve their goals.
3.6. *Resolution: It is the unfolding or the solution to a complex issue in a story.

Types of Plays

There are many types of plays such as,

1. Tragedy: These types of plays end on a tragic note and most likely a character‟s death.
2. Comedy: These types of plays are meant to amuse the audience, and they end on a happy
note.
3. Domestic Play: These types of plays are based on the normal life of family and friends.
4. Tragicomedy: It is a fictional work comprises of both tragedy as well as comedy.
5. Melodrama: This type of has often exaggerated characters and episodes with songs and
music for an emotive appeal to the audiences.

Example of Play from Literature

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a famous tragic play first published in 1623. The play centers around the character of
Macbeth, whose desire to become the king of Scotland at any cost and it becomes the reason for his
tragic downfall. At the outset, he is seen as a brave and loyal Thane to King Duncan. However, after
hearing the prophecies of the witches, he becomes paranoid and greedy. Tempted by prophecies of
the witches and with his wife‟s motivation, he brutally kills King Duncan and becomes the king
himself. Supernatural creatures also play a vital role in the play. They attack his weakness and tempt
him to kill everyone who comes on his way to possess the crown. Out of greed, he also kills his
friend, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her children and many other innocent souls to reach his goal.
However, his evil deeds and greed pay him off in the form of his tragic demise. Hence, the play is
the best example of tragedy because of the tragic flaw and moral weakness of the main character
become the cause of his eventual downfall.

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