- Person vs.

nature/environment

- Person vs. God/universe

DRAMA STRUCTURE

REVIEWER IN CREATIVE WRITING

a. Exposition/Introduction – referred as status quo,
characters are introduced, settings are established
WRITING DRAMA
b. Conflict- It recognizes the threat or challenges that
Playwriting
besets the protagonist
- An entertaining and exciting discipline in Performing Arts
c. Rising Action or Complication- dramatic tension
builds up towards a confrontation, conflict becomes
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS OF A PLAY
even more complicated

- Transform written forms into a public performance

- Comedy and Tragedy are relatives.

- Connection between the playwright and the characters

- Dynamic Situations

MAIN TYPES OF DRAMA

A. TRAGEDY – portrays conflicts between human beings,

d. Climax, Crisis, Turning Point – protagonist faces the
pain and sorrowful sequenced events.
struggles building our curiosity whether he/she will
survive
B. COMEDY- originated from the Greek word komos which
means “a revelry or celebration”. It can either be a
e. Falling Action- gives the audience a sense of
classification of an entire play, comic situation, or a
conclusion and resolution
character in a play.
f. Denouement/Resolution- the part where the drama
Comedy Varieties
ends, knowing if the protagonist won or not

- HIGH COMEDY – It relies on wit and wordplay. It

STRUCTURAL FACTORS
attempts to lecture pretentions and hypocrisy of human
behavior.
1. Length of the Play
- LOW COMEDY- places greater importance on physical
2. Intended Audience
action and visual gags. Verbal jokes do not require high
intellect to be appreciated.
3. Use of Dramatic Elements
- REGULAR COMEDY- One to five acts, half-serious, with
interjections of humor and wit. It is intended to be heavy 4. Settings
but the conversations are witty and filled with
comicality. 5. Genre of the Play

PLOT AND DRAMATIC STRUCTURE DRAMATIC ELEMENTS

- Dramatic structure of the play a. Action- what the characters say or do to achieve
their objectives
MAJOR DIVISIONS OR ACTS OF A PLAY
b. Antagonist- A character or a situation that stand
1. Three Act Play against the protagonist

2. One Act Play c. Arc – the play’s storyline, what the audience wants
to find out
Types of conflict:
d. Aside- it was used to interject comedy or melodrama
- Person vs. himself/herself
e. Backstory- events that happened in the past
- Person vs. another person
f. Complications- the ones that cause conflicts through
the introduction of new characters, information or
- Person vs. group/society
event
 g. Conflict- problems caused by the opposing 2. Characters should not use clichés.
objectives of the antagonist and protagonist
3. Characters should not overuse character names.
h. Deus ex machine- refers to a Greek practice of
lowering a “god” to the stage, at the end of the play 4. Characters should not speechify.
to solve problems
5. Keep the Agenda Out of the Dialogue.
i. Discovery- when the character discovers the reality
of the situation

j. Double Plots- having subplots or weaving new plots

k. Dramatic convention- it is what the audience is

willing to accept as real for the sake of the story

l. Flashback- description or enactment of the past

events for clarifying situations that relate to the
conflict

m. Foreshadowing- predicting hints for the future to

build anticipation from the audience

n. Inciting incident- event that launches the protagonist

and gets the plot going

o. In medias res- refers to the opening scene in the

middle of the action

p. Intrigue- a scheme designed by one of the characters

which may also be a conflict of the plot

q. Music- mainstay of the musical drama

r. Monologue- an actor’s speech delivery in front of

other characters who do not speak but listens

s. Protagonist- main character and is involved in quest

t. Reversal – it happens when the main character

succeeds or fails

u. Scenes- allows the audience to relax briefly from the

tension of the drama

v. Soliloquy- a speech delivered by an actor when he or

she is alone to express thoughts

w. Surprise- things that’s happen out of the audience’s

expectation

x. Suspense- it consists of events that create a sense of

uncertainty as to what will happen to the characters

SETTING

- Realistic plays

- Non-realistic plays

DIALOGUE

- Primary and most significant element of the play

Things to consider in Writing Dialogues

1. Character should not talk perfectly.