Reading plays and dramatic techniques

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수업 노트

What Makes a Play Different from Prose

A play is a script written to be performed by actors on a stage before an audience, not just read silently.
The structure of a play is shaped by its collaborative production (actors, director, designers) and collective reception (a live audience).
Unlike prose, a play tells its story mainly through dialogue and stage directions, not through a narrator's description.
Plays are divided into acts and scenes, which break the action into manageable units and signal changes in time or place.
The word drama comes from a Greek word meaning 'deed' or 'act', reminding us that drama is about action.

Script Conventions and Stage Directions

Stage directions are the instructions in a script that tell actors how to move, speak or behave, and describe set, props, lighting and sound.
Stage directions are usually written in italics or brackets and are not spoken aloud by the actors.
Dialogue is the conversation between characters; it reveals their personalities, relationships and conflicts.
A monologue is a long speech by one character, often revealing their inner thoughts to the audience.
A soliloquy is a special type of monologue where a character speaks alone on stage, sharing private thoughts.
Asides are short remarks spoken by a character to the audience or to themselves, which other characters on stage are not supposed to hear.

Dramatic Tension and Dramatic Irony

Dramatic tension is the feeling of suspense or excitement that keeps the audience wondering what will happen next.
Tension can be built through short, sharp dialogue, unanswered questions, secrets, or characters in conflict.
Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something important that one or more characters on stage do not know.
Dramatic irony creates tension because the audience anticipates the moment when the character will discover the truth.
Playwrights also use cliffhangers at the end of acts or scenes to make the audience eager to see what happens next.

Staging, Props, Lighting and Performance Choices

Staging refers to how a play is presented: the set, the positioning of actors, and the use of the stage space.
Props (properties) are objects used by actors on stage; they can symbolise ideas or reveal character.
Lighting can create mood, focus attention on a character or object, and signal changes in time or location.
Sound (music, effects) can heighten tension, establish setting, or underscore emotional moments.
Costume and make-up help the audience understand a character's status, personality or the historical period.
Actors make performance choices such as tone of voice, facial expression, gesture and movement, which shape how the audience interprets the script.

Modern Plays and Their Themes

Modern plays often explore contemporary issues such as identity, family, social justice and technology.
The narrower sense of drama refers to a serious play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, for example Zola's×Thérèse Raquin×(1873) or Chekhov's×Ivanov×(1887).
Modern drama can include musicals, which combine spoken dialogue with songs, and radio drama, written for live or recorded broadcast.
Closet drama is a play intended to be read rather than performed.
Improvisation is drama created spontaneously by performers in front of an audience, without a pre-written script.

A Brief History of Western Drama

Western drama originates in classical Greece, where Athens produced three genres: tragedy, comedy and the satyr play.
Greek dramas were performed in competitions at festivals honouring the god Dionysus; official records (×didaskaliai×) begin from 501 BC.
Thespis is credited with introducing the first actor (×hypokrites×) who spoke and impersonated a character, interacting with the chorus.
Only a small fraction of work by five ancient Greek dramatists survives: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and Menander.
Aeschylus'×The Persians×(472 BC) is the oldest surviving drama.
Roman drama began regularly in 240 BC with Livius Andronicus; Roman theatre spread across Europe and reached England.
The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional division between comedy and tragedy.

Key Terms for Reading Plays

Act – a major division of a play; scene – a smaller division within an act.
Dialogue – conversation between characters; monologue – a long speech by one character.
Soliloquy – a monologue delivered alone on stage; aside – a short private remark to the audience.
Stage directions – instructions in the script about movement, setting, lighting and sound.
Dramatic irony – when the audience knows more than the characters.
Tension – the suspense or excitement felt by the audience.
Props – objects used on stage; staging – how the play is presented visually.

슬라이드

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1.In a play script, what is the name for the instructions that tell actors how to move or speak, such as 'Exit, pursued by a bear'?
Easy
- AStage directions
- BDialogue
- CActs
- DProps
2.Which sentence uses the correct punctuation for a stage direction?
Easy
- AThe lights dim. (She whispers.) 'I'm scared.'
- BThe lights dim. (She whispers) 'I'm scared.'
- CThe lights dim. (She whispers,) 'I'm scared.'
- DThe lights dim. (She whispers; 'I'm scared.'
3.Read this short extract from a play: JAMIE: (quietly) I told you not to come. ALEX: (laughing) And I never listen. What does the stage direction '(quietly)' tell the actor?
Medium
- ATo speak in a soft voice
- BTo leave the stage
- CTo move to the front
- DTo speak loudly
4.Which of these is the best definition of a monologue?
Medium
- AA long speech by one character while others are present
- BA conversation between two characters
- CA speech in which a character reveals private thoughts while alone on stage
- DA play with no stage directions
5.Which of the following are conventions of a play script? (Select all that apply.)
Medium
- AStage directions in brackets
- BCharacter names before each line of dialogue
- CA narrator describing every scene in past tense
- DActs and scenes dividing the action
- ELong paragraphs of description
6.In a play, 'dialogue' means the words spoken by the characters.
Easy
True or false?
7.Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that one or more characters on stage do not know.
Easy
True or false?
8.Match each dramatic term to its correct definition.
Medium
- Act
- Scene
- Stage direction
- Prop
- A major division of a play
- A smaller section within an act, often marked by a change of time or place
- An instruction in the script telling actors how to move or speak
- An object used on stage by an actor

더 많은 문제

9.Put these elements of a play script into the order in which they usually appear on the page.
Medium
- Act and scene number
- Setting description in brackets
- Character name
- Dialogue
10.Which of the following are features of a play that is intended to be read rather than performed? (Select all that apply.)
Medium
- AIt is called closet drama.
- BIt is written to be read rather than staged.
- CIt is called improvisation.
- DIt is devised spontaneously by performers before an audience.
- EIt is always sung throughout.
11.Match each dramatic form to the way its story is presented.
Medium
- Mime
- Opera
- Musical
- Closet drama
- The action is told only through movement of the body.
- The dramatic text is generally sung throughout.
- Includes both spoken dialogue and songs.
- Intended to be read rather than performed.
12.In improvisation, how does the drama come into existence?
Medium
- AIt is written down by a dramatist long before it is performed.
- BIt does not pre-exist the moment of performance; performers devise it spontaneously before an audience.
- CIt is read aloud privately instead of being staged.
- DIt is sung throughout by the performers.
13.Which statement best describes how the structure of dramatic texts differs from other forms of literature?
Medium
- AIt is directly influenced by collaborative production and collective reception.
- BIt is always written in verse rather than prose.
- CIt is intended only to be read in private.
- DIt never includes music or song.
14.According to the traditional generic division of drama, which two masks are used to represent the two main types of play? (Select all that apply.)
Medium
- AComedy
- BTragedy
- CSatyr play
- DMime
- EOpera
15.The word 'drama' comes from a Greek word meaning:
Easy
- Asong
- Bdeed or act
- Cmask
- Daudience
16.Which of the following are genres of drama produced by the theatrical culture of classical Athens? (Select all that apply.)
Medium
- ATragedy
- BComedy
- CSatyr play
- DCloset drama
- EMelodrama
17.Put these developments in the history of Western drama into chronological order, earliest first.
Medium
- Western drama originates in classical Greece.
- Rome encounters Greek drama.
- Regular Roman drama begins.
- The word 'play' is the standard term for dramas in English.
18.In a play, what is the name for the words spoken by the characters to one another?
Easy
- Astage directions
- Bdialogue
- Cacts
- Dprops
19.Which of these is the term for a speech in which a character alone on stage reveals their private thoughts to the audience?
Easy
- Adialogue
- Bmonologue
- Csoliloquy
- Dstage direction
20.What is the name for the instructions in a play script that tell actors how to move or speak?
Easy
- Adialogue
- Bstage directions
- Cacts
- Dscenes
21.Read this line from a play script: MRS HALE: (wringing her hands) I only meant to help. Which sentence punctuates the same stage direction correctly?
Medium
- ATOM: (looking away) I never saw anything.
- BTOM: looking away, I never saw anything.
- CTOM: (looking away,) I never saw anything.
- DTOM: looking away I never saw anything.
22.Read this line from a play script: DAN: (shouting) Get out of my kitchen! Which version corrects the error in the stage direction?
Medium
- ADAN: (shouting), Get out of my kitchen!
- BDAN: shouting Get out of my kitchen!
- CDAN: (shouting) Get out of my kitchen!
- DDAN: (shouting.) Get out of my kitchen!
23.Which sentence uses brackets correctly for a stage direction?
Easy
- ALILA: (whispering) Don't tell anyone.
- BLILA: whispering, Don't tell anyone.
- CLILA: (whispering,) Don't tell anyone.
- DLILA: whispering (Don't tell anyone.)
24.Read this line from a play script: NARRATOR: The lights dim. (A single spotlight finds the bed.) Which version corrects the punctuation of the stage direction?
Medium
- ANARRATOR: The lights dim (A single spotlight finds the bed.)
- BNARRATOR: The lights dim. (A single spotlight finds the bed).
- CNARRATOR: The lights dim. A single spotlight finds the bed.
- DNARRATOR: The lights dim. (A single spotlight finds the bed.)
25.Read this line from a play script: JAMAL: (to the audience) I know what she's planning. Which version corrects the error in the stage direction?
Medium
- AJAMAL: (to the audience,) I know what she's planning.
- BJAMAL: to the audience I know what she's planning.
- CJAMAL: (to the audience) I know what she's planning.
- DJAMAL: (to the audience.) I know what she's planning.
26.Read this line from a play script: SOPHIE: (quietly) (She closes the door.) Which version corrects the punctuation?
Medium
- ASOPHIE: (quietly, she closes the door.)
- BSOPHIE: (quietly) She closes the door.
- CSOPHIE: (quietly.) (She closes the door.)
- DSOPHIE: (quietly) (She closes the door.)
27.Read this line from a play script: MR KENT: (angrily) You will not speak to me like that! Which version corrects the error in the stage direction?
Medium
- AMR KENT: (angrily,) You will not speak to me like that!
- BMR KENT: angrily You will not speak to me like that!
- CMR KENT: (angrily) You will not speak to me like that!
- DMR KENT: (angrily.) You will not speak to me like that!
28.Read this line from a play script: EVE: (laughing) (She throws the letter into the fire.) Which version corrects the punctuation of the stage directions?
Medium
- AEVE: (laughing; she throws the letter into the fire.)
- BEVE: (laughing) She throws the letter into the fire.
- CEVE: (laughing.) (She throws the letter into the fire.)
- DEVE: (laughing) (She throws the letter into the fire.)
29.Read this line from a play script: BEN: (to the audience, quietly) I know the truth. Which version corrects the punctuation of the stage direction?
Hard
- ABEN: (to the audience quietly) I know the truth.
- BBEN: (to the audience, quietly,) I know the truth.
- CBEN: (to the audience, quietly) I know the truth.
- DBEN: (to the audience; quietly) I know the truth.
30.Read this line from a play script: GRAN: (softly) Come here, child. Which version corrects the error in the stage direction?
Medium
- AGRAN: (softly,) Come here, child.
- BGRAN: softly Come here, child.
- CGRAN: (softly) Come here, child.
- DGRAN: (softly.) Come here, child.
31.Read this line from a play script: JO: (frightened) (She backs away.) Which version corrects the punctuation?
Medium
- AJO: (frightened, she backs away.)
- BJO: (frightened) She backs away.
- CJO: (frightened.) (She backs away.)
- DJO: (frightened) (She backs away.)
32.Read this line from a play script: MR ALI: (calmly) There is no need to shout. Which version corrects the error in the stage direction?
Medium
- AMR ALI: (calmly,) There is no need to shout.
- BMR ALI: calmly There is no need to shout.
- CMR ALI: (calmly) There is no need to shout.
- DMR ALI: (calmly.) There is no need to shout.
33.Read this short extract from a play: JESS: (under her breath) Don't look at him. SAM: What did you say? JESS: Nothing. I said nothing. What does the stage direction '(under her breath)' suggest about how Jess speaks?
Medium
- AShe speaks quietly so that only the audience, not Sam, can properly hear her.
- BShe shouts so that everyone on stage can hear her clearly.
- CShe sings the line rather than speaking it.
- DShe speaks directly to the audience and ignores Sam.
34.Read this short extract from a play: MRS OKAFOR: (holding the letter behind her back) I haven't heard from your brother. Not a word. What does the stage direction reveal about Mrs Okafor that her spoken words hide?
Medium
- AShe is hiding a letter, which suggests she is lying about not hearing from him.
- BShe is writing a letter, which shows she is telling the truth.
- CShe has lost the letter, which shows she is careless.
- DShe is reading the letter aloud, which shows she is honest.
35.Read this short extract from a play: LEE: (pause) I'll go first. MORGAN: (pause) No. I will. LEE: (pause) Don't. What is the main effect of repeating '(pause)' before each line?
Hard
- AIt slows the exchange and builds tension, making each line feel reluctant and dangerous.
- BIt speeds up the scene so the characters seem excited.
- CIt shows the characters are laughing at each other.
- DIt tells the actors to leave the stage between lines.
36.Read this short extract from a play: TOM: (to the audience) She has no idea what I've done. Which dramatic technique is being used here?
Medium
- ADramatic irony, because the audience knows something a character on stage does not.
- BMime, because the action is told only through movement.
- CCloset drama, because the play is meant only to be read.
- DImprovisation, because the actor invents the words on the spot.
37.Read this short extract from a play: NARRATOR: The lights fade to a single candle. (A clock strikes twelve.) ELLA: (whispering) It's time. Which of the following dramatic techniques are used in this extract? (Select all that apply.)
Medium
- ALighting effects
- BSound effects
- CStage directions
- DDramatic irony
- EMime
38.A stage direction in brackets tells the actors how to move, speak or behave, and it is not spoken aloud.
Easy
True or false?
39.Read this short extract from a play: DEV: (He picks up the cup, then sets it down without drinking.) I'm fine. Really. How does the stage direction affect the audience's understanding of Dev's words 'I'm fine'?
Hard
- AIt makes his words sound unconvincing, because his action shows hesitation and suggests he is not fine.
- BIt proves he is fine, because he says so clearly.
- CIt shows he is thirsty, because he wants the drink.
- DIt shows he is angry, because he throws the cup.
40.Read this short extract from a play: AMIRA: (She tears the photograph in half and drops it.) We're done. Which word in the stage direction best shows that the relationship is over for good?
Medium
- Atears
- Bphotograph
- Cdrops
- Dhalf
41.What is the term for a speech in which a character alone on stage reveals their private thoughts to the audience?
Medium
42.Complete the sentence with the correct dramatic term.
Easy
A ____ is a play that ends unhappily, often with the death of the main character, while a ____ is a play that ends happily and aims to amuse.
43.Complete the sentence with the correct number of genres.
Easy
The theatrical culture of classical Athens produced ____ genres of drama.
44.Complete the sentence with the correct genre of drama.
Medium
Ancient Greek comedy is traditionally divided into old comedy, middle comedy and ____ comedy.
45.Complete the sentence with the correct term.
Easy
A form of drama intended to be read rather than performed is called ____ drama.
46.What is the term for a form of drama in which the action of a story is told only through the movement of the body?
Medium
47.In a play script, what is the name for the instructions that tell actors how to move or speak?
Easy
48.Give the Greek word meaning 'deed' or 'act' from which the term 'drama' comes.
Medium
49.Complete the sentence with the correct number.
Medium
Tragic dramatists were required to present a tetralogy of ____ plays.
50.Complete the sentence using the correct dramatic term.
Medium
In a play script, the bracketed instructions that tell actors how to move or speak are called ____.
51.Read this short extract from a play: RUTH: (to the audience) He thinks the door is locked. What is the name of the dramatic technique used when the audience knows something a character on stage does not?
Medium
52.Explain how a playwright can use lighting to create dramatic tension on stage.
Hard
53.Explain how a playwright can use stage directions to create dramatic tension on stage.
Hard
54.Explain how dramatic irony works in a play and why it can make an audience feel tense.
Hard
55.Read this short extract from a play: MISS GREY: (She folds the letter carefully and places it in her pocket.) Tell him I never received it. Explain how the stage direction affects the audience's view of Miss Grey. Refer to the action and to her words in your answer.
Hard

복습 노트

## Reading Plays and Dramatic Techniques ### What makes a play different from prose? - Drama is the **mode of fiction represented in performance** — a play, opera, mime or ballet performed in a theatre, or on radio or television. - A play is written to be **performed by actors on a stage before an audience**. This **collaborative production** and **collective reception** directly shape how the text is structured. - The word *drama* comes from a Greek word meaning **"deed" or "act"**. - Until Shakespeare's time, the standard English word was **play** (a play-maker wrote it; it was staged in a play-house). - In its narrow modern sense, **drama** means a play that is **neither a comedy nor a tragedy**. ### Script conventions - **Acts and scenes** organise the action into units. - **Stage directions** tell us about setting, movement, props, lighting and sound. - **Dialogue** is speech between characters; a **monologue** is one character speaking at length. - **Closet drama** is written to be **read rather than performed**. - In **improvisation**, the drama does not pre-exist the moment of performance — performers devise the script spontaneously before an audience. ### Dramatic effects - **Dramatic tension** — the build-up of suspense and conflict. - **Dramatic irony** — when the audience knows something a character does not. - **Staging, props, lighting and performance choices** all shape meaning: what the audience sees and hears is part of the drama. ### Forms and genres - The two masks of drama represent the traditional division between **comedy** and **tragedy**. - Drama combines with music in different ways: in **opera** the text is generally **sung throughout**; in some **ballets** dance "expresses or imitates emotion, character, and narrative action"; **musicals** include both **spoken dialogue and songs**; some forms use **incidental music** underscoring dialogue (melodrama, Japanese Nō). - **Mime** tells the story only through **movement of the body**. - **Radio drama** was originally transmitted in live performance. ### A little history (useful context) - Western drama originates in **classical Greece**; Athens produced **tragedy, comedy and the satyr play**. - **Thespis** is credited with the innovation of an actor (*hypokrites*) who **speaks rather than sings** and **impersonates a character**, interacting with the **chorus** and its leader (*coryphaeus*). - **Aeschylus' The Persians** is the oldest surviving drama (won first prize at the City Dionysia in 472 BC). - Roman drama begins in **240 BC** with Livius Andronicus; Roman theatre spread across Europe and reached England. ### Exam reminders - Always comment on **how** a line would be staged or spoken, not just what it says. - Link **technique → effect on audience**. - Use the correct terms: act, scene, stage direction, dialogue, monologue, tension, irony.

Drama: The specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television. The word comes from a Greek word meaning 'deed' or 'act'.
Play: The standard English term for a drama until Shakespeare's time (translating the Anglo-Saxon pleġan or Latin ludus); its creator was a play-maker and the building a play-house.
Drama (narrow sense): A play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy — for example, Zola's Thérèse Raquin (1873) or Chekhov's Ivanov (1887).
Act and scene: Units into which a play's action is divided in the script.
Stage directions: Instructions in the script covering setting, movement, props, lighting and sound.
Dialogue: Speech exchanged between characters in a play.
Monologue: A long speech delivered by one character.
Dramatic tension: The build-up of suspense and conflict that keeps an audience engaged.
Dramatic irony: When the audience knows something that a character on stage does not.
Comedy and tragedy: The traditional generic division of drama, represented by the two masks associated with drama.
Mime: A form of drama where the action of a story is told only through the movement of the body.
Opera: Drama combined with music, in which the dramatic text is generally sung throughout.
Musical: A form of drama that includes both spoken dialogue and songs.
Closet drama: A form of drama intended to be read, rather than performed.
Improvisation: Drama that does not pre-exist the moment of performance; performers devise a dramatic script spontaneously before an audience.
Radio drama: Drama for radio, originally transmitted in a live performance; also used for the more high-brow and serious end of radio's dramatic output.
Thespis: Ancient Greek dramatist credited with the innovation of an actor ('hypokrites') who speaks rather than sings and impersonates a character, interacting with the chorus and its leader ('coryphaeus').
City Dionysia: Athenian festival competition at which Greek tragedies, comedies and satyr plays were performed; Aeschylus' The Persians won first prize there in 472 BC.

플래시카드

What is drama?

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance, such as a play, opera, mime, or ballet, performed in a theatre or on radio or television.

What is the origin of the word 'drama'?

It comes from a Greek word meaning 'deed' or 'act' (δρᾶμα, drâma), derived from 'I do' (δράω, dráō).

What do the two masks associated with drama represent?

They represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy.

What was the standard term for dramas in English until Shakespeare's time?

The word 'play' or 'game' (from Anglo-Saxon pleġan or Latin ludus).

In modern narrow sense, what does 'drama' refer to?

A play that is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, for example Zola's Thérèse Raquin (1873) or Chekhov's Ivanov (1887).

What is closet drama?

A form of drama intended to be read, rather than performed.

What is improvisation in drama?

A form where the drama does not pre-exist the moment of performance; performers devise a dramatic script spontaneously before an audience.

What is mime?

A form of drama where the action of a story is told only through the movement of the body.

How does opera differ from musicals in terms of music and dialogue?

In opera, the dramatic text is generally sung throughout; musicals include both spoken dialogue and songs.

Where does Western drama originate?

In classical Greece, specifically from the theatrical culture of Athens.

What three genres of drama did ancient Athens produce?

Tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play.

Who is credited with the innovation of an actor who speaks and impersonates a character?

Thespis.

What was the role of the chorus in ancient Greek drama?

The chorus and its leader (coryphaeus) were a traditional part of the performance, interacting with the actor.

What is the oldest surviving drama?

Aeschylus' historical tragedy The Persians, which won first prize at the City Dionysia competition in 472 BC.

What was a tetralogy in ancient Greek drama?

A group of four plays (usually three tragedies and one satyr play) that tragic dramatists were required to present.

When did regular Roman drama begin?

240 BC marks the beginning of regular Roman drama.

Who wrote the first important works of Roman literature?

Livius Andronicus, who wrote tragedies and comedies from 240 BC.

How did Roman theatre compare to earlier cultures?

Roman theatre was more varied, extensive and sophisticated than that of any culture before it.

What is the difference between a monologue and a dialogue?

A monologue is a long speech by one character; a dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters.

What are stage directions?

Instructions in a play script that describe how actors should move, speak, or behave, and how the stage should look or sound.

What is dramatic irony?

When the audience knows something that the characters on stage do not, creating tension or humour.

How do acts and scenes structure a play?

Acts are major divisions of a play, and scenes are subdivisions within acts, often indicating changes in location or time.

What is dramatic tension?

The feeling of anticipation or anxiety experienced by the audience about what will happen next in the play.

How can staging, props, and lighting shape meaning in a play?

They can create atmosphere, highlight important objects or characters, and influence the audience's emotional response.

What is the difference between a play and prose fiction?

A play is written to be performed, using script conventions like stage directions and dialogue, while prose fiction is written to be read.

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