LESSON 3

DRAMA AND CREATIVE NONFICTION

“The ode lives upon the ideal, the epic upon the
grandiose, the drama upon the real.”
-Victor Hugo

LEARNING
OUTCOMES

In this module, you will learn to:

 Describe elements of drama

 Analyze the differences and connections between drama and creative

nonfiction

 Narrate and explain “dramatic” personal experiences

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 ACTIVITY

Recall your favorite drama. Write something about it: the casts, your favorite line and
scenes.
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Lesson Topics

Drama on the other hand, 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 play written for theater, television, radio, and film.
In simple words, a drama is 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. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a
“dramatist” or “playwright.”

TYPES OF DRAMA

 COMEDY – Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary works, and provide a happy
conclusion. The intention of dramatists in comedies is to make their audience laugh. Hence,
they use quaint circumstances, unusual characters, and witty remarks.
 TRAGEDY – Tragic dramas use darker themes, such as disaster, pain, and death.
Protagonists often have a tragic flaw — a characteristic that leads them to their downfall.
 FARCE – Generally, a farce is a nonsensical genre of drama, which often overacts or
engages slapstick humor.
 MELODRAMA – Melodrama is an exaggerated drama, which is sensational and
 appeals directly to the senses of the audience. Just like the farce, the characters are of a
single dimension and simple, or may be stereotyped.
 MUSICAL DRAMA – In musical dramas, dramatists not only tell their stories through acting
and dialogue, but through dance as well as music. Often the story may be comedic, though
it may also involve serious subjects.

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

 SETTING - Setting identifies the time and place in which the events occur. It consists of the
historical period, the moment, day and season in which the incidents take place. It also
includes the sceneries in the performance which are usually found in the preliminary
descriptions.
 CHARACTERS - Characters are the people in the play and thus considered as the
principal material in a drama.

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  PLOT - Plot lays out the series of events that form the entirety of the play. It serves as a
structural framework which brings the events to a cohesive form and sense.
 THEME - Theme is considered as the unifying element that defines the dramatized idea of
the play. It is the over-all sense or implication of the action. It defines the problem,
emphasizes the ethical judgment and suggest attitude or course of action that eliminates
the crisis is an acceptable way.
 STYLE - Style refers to the mode of expression or presentation of the play which points out
the playwright’s position or viewpoint in life.
Source: https://www.slideshare.net/ericsoncabrera/elements -of-drama

 DIALOG - The story of a play is taken forward by means of dialogs. The story is narrated to
the audiences through the interaction between the play's characters, which is in the form of
dialogs. The contents of the dialogs and the quality of their delivery have a major role to
play in the impact that the play has on the audiences. It is through the dialogs between
characters that the story can be understood. They are important in revealing the
personalities of the characters. The words used, the accent, tone, pattern of speech, and
even the pauses in speech, say a lot about the character and help reveal not just his
personality, but also his social status, past, and family background as given by the play.
Monologues and soliloquies that are speeches given to oneself or to other characters help
put forward points that would have been difficult to express through dialogs. "What's in a
name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" from Romeo
and Juliet in which Juliet tells Romeo of the insignificance of names or "To be, or not to be",
a soliloquy from Hamlet are some of the greatest lines in literature.

Source: https://www.buzzle.com/articles/elements-of-drama.html

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 READER’S CORNER

A. Without a doubt, Romeo and Juliet is considered as one of Shakespeare’s most popular
plays. By reading the excerpt below, try to figure out why the play written several centuries
ago still holds a universal appeal.

AN EXCERPT FROM ROMEO AND JULIET

By William Shakespeare

SCENE II. Capulet's orchard.

Enter ROMEO

ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

JULIET appears above at a window

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her
maid art far more fair than she:
Be not her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green and none but fools
do wear it; cast it off.
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might
touch that cheek!

JULIET
Ay me!

ROMEO
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
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Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air.

JULIET
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO
[Aside] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

JULIET
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a
man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that
name which is no part of thee Take all myself.

ROMEO
I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

JULIET
What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night So stumblest on my counsel?

ROMEO
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, because it is an enemy to thee; Had I it written, I would
tear the word.

JULIET
My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound:
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?

ROMEO
Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.

JULIET
How calmest thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb, And the place death, considering who thou art, if
any of my kinsmen find thee here.

ROMEO
With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls;

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For stony limits cannot hold love out,

And what love can do that dares love attempt; Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me.

JULIET
If they do see thee, they will murder thee.

ROMEO
Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet, And I am proof against their enmity.

JULIET
I would not for the world they saw thee here.

ROMEO
I have night's cloak to hide me from their sight; And but thou love me, let them find me here: My
life were better ended by their hate, Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.

JULIET
By whose direction found'st thou out this place?

ROMEO
By love, who first did prompt me to inquire; He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.
I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far As that vast shore wash'd with the farthest sea, I would
adventure for such merchandise.

JULIET
Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny What
I have spoke: but farewell compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say 'Ay,'
And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo, If thou dost
love, pronounce it faithfully: Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be perverse an say thee nay, So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world. In truth,
fair Montague, I am too fond, And therefore thou mayst think my 'havior light: But trust me,
gentleman, I'll prove more true Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou overheard'st, ere I was ware,
My true love's passion: therefore pardon me, And not impute this yielding to light love, Which the
dark night hath so discovered.

ROMEO
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops--

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JULIET
O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that
thy love prove likewise variable.

ROMEO
What shall I swear by?
JULIET
Do not swear at all;
Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, Which is the god of my idolatry, And I'll believe thee.

ROMEO
If my heart's dear love--
JULIET
Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee, I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden; Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be Ere one
can say 'It lightens.' Sweet, good night! This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, May prove
a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest Come
to thy heart as that within my breast!

ROMEO
O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?

JULIET
What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?

ROMEO
The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.
JULIET
I gave thee mine before thou didst request it:
And yet I would it were to give again.

ROMEO
Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose, love?
JULIET
But to be frank, and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.
Nurse calls within

I hear some noise within; dear love, adieu!

Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.
Exit, above

ROMEO

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O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard. Being in night, all this is but a dream, Too flattering-sweet
to be substantial.
Re-enter JULIET, above

JULIET
Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed. If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay And follow thee my lord throughout the world.

Nurse
[Within] Madam!

JULIET
I come, anon.--But if thou mean'st not well,
I do beseech thee--

Nurse
[Within] Madam!

JULIET
By and by, I come:--
To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief:
To-morrow will I send.

ROMEO
So thrive my soul--

JULIET
A thousand times good night!
Exit, above

ROMEO
A thousand times the worse, to want thy light. Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their
books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.

Retiring
Re-enter JULIET, above

JULIET
Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice, To lure this tassel-gentle back again!
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;
Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine, With repetition of my Romeo's name.

ROMEO

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It is my soul that calls upon my name: How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like
softest music to attending ears!
JULIET
Romeo!

ROMEO
My dear?

JULIET
At what o'clock to-morrow Shall I send to thee?

ROMEO
At the hour of nine.

JULIET
I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till then.
I have forgot why I did call thee back.

ROMEO
Let me stand here till thou remember it.

JULIET
I shall forget, to have thee still stand there, Remembering how I love thy company.

ROMEO
And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget, Forgetting any other home but this.

JULIET
'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:
And yet no further than a wanton's bird; Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves, And with a silk thread plucks it back again, So loving-
jealous of his liberty.

ROMEO
I would I were thy bird.

JULIET
Sweet, so would I:
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

Exit above

ROMEO
Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast!
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest!
Hence will I to my ghostly father's cell, His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell. Exit
Source: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/full.html

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FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS:

1. Analyze the selection based on the following elements:

a. Setting
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b. Plot
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c. Characters
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d. Style
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2. Which details from the excerpt would show love between the characters?
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3. What “requests” are the characters making for each other?

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4. In what ways are Romeo and Juliet similar to and different from contemporary couples?
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5. Why this play written several centuries ago still holds a universal appeal?
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 B. You have learned earlier that creative nonfiction requires “dramatic writing.” Now, read the
sample creative nonfiction text on the next page about the narrator’s personal encounter
with disaster. Analyze the text based on the dramatic elements identified earlier - situation,
character, plot and style.

CAUGHT IN THE FOREST FIRE

John Remil Teodoro

RIZAL, Palawan – While walking along a forest trail sometime in March, we heard what
seemed like a staccato of gunfire from a nearby mountain. We thought there was a gun battle, an
unusual occurrence in this usually peaceful province, but the tribal leader, who served as our
guide told us the sound came from burning bamboo stands. The forest was on fire, and we were
right in the middle of the blaze.

My companion and I were trekking towards sitio Imbo in barangay Canipaan, homeland of
many Pala’wan indigenous people. It takes an hour’s walk from the barangay proper to reach the
village. We were there to interview the local community for a brochure on land tenure options that
we were commissioned to write.

Edong Tuwahan, our guide, is a panglima or tribal leader of the village. Two days earlier,
his house was among the dwellings burned to the ground. The forest fire had been going on for
days, but he did not seem very worried about it. He had this it’s-one-of-those-things attitude, like
this was something that happened every so often and they had learned to live with it.

While we were going up, we passed forested areas where both sides of the trail had been
razed to the ground. Thick piles of ash lay on what was once the forest floor, along with tree
branches that were black with soot. We wondered what happened to the wildlife in these forests-
the monitor lizards, monkeys, cockatoos, peacock pheasants, mynah, and others.

When we reached the village, Tuwahan pointed out his burned hut. Only a few blackened
posts remained, and his family was staying with his two married children whose houses were
spared because they had removed the roofs of their houses, since these are the first to catch fire.

The villagers told us that the sitio is named after a river, which has dried up due to the long
dry season. We passed by that river on our way to their village and only leaves could be seen on
the riverbed these days.

When we asked them what started the fire, they said Cebuano migrant engaged in slash-
and-burn farming caused the forest fire. This Cebuano bought that parcel of land from their fellow
Pala’wan for only one carabao and one plow a hectare.

They said it will be a very big help to them if the municipal government of Rizal could help
survey their land. It appears that the inaccuracy of the boundaries of their properties caused
tension among members of the tribe.

On our way down, we were gripped with fear when we saw flames eating up the tress
beside the trail. The forest fire was spreading fast, considering that we stayed at the panglima’s
house for only an hour. My companion and I started to run when we felt the heat on our arms and
inhaled smoke.
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 When we looked back however, we saw the tribal leader and his children walking slowly,
totally unperturbed by the forest fire. Instead of getting panicked, we decided to take pictures
instead and walk a normal pace.

That night, the fire is what was once a lush forest kept coming back to my mind as I lay in
bed. More than anything else, I couldn’t stop thinking what the tribal leader said: the forest fire
would be bring hunger to my tribe again.

WRITE YOUR ANSWER HERE

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 WRITER’S CORNER

Recall a “dramatic” experience in your life and narrate it employing dramatic elements with
a minimum of 300 words and maximum of 500 words. You can use the text you have read as an
example.
Criteria for Scoring:

Details: 20 points
Organization: 20 points
Word choice: 10 points
Mechanics: 10 points

Total: 60 points

WRITE YOUR TEXT HERE

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