1 How does the dramatist develop characters with strong passions or desires? | 2 How does the author use characters to create tension or dramatic force to move the plot along? | 3 How do dramatic interactions or dialogues with other characters further the development of the conflict? | 4 Is there a minor character who is a catalyst for change or enlightenment? |
5 How do characters reflect on their actions? In what ways have the connections between action and reflection been important in the play? | 6 How do dramatists show us the motivation for character’s action? | 7 How is communication between human beings shown as difficult or impossible? | 8 How does the dramatist show us the inner worlds of human existence? |
9 How does the dramatist characterize the roles of women vs men? | 10 How does dramatist develop isolation of a character as a way to show despair or enlightenment? | 11 How does the dramatist elicit admiration or loathing for certain characters? | 12 How does the author use elements of comedy to develop conflicts or characters? |
13 How are actions and gestures significant part in engaging the audience and developing dramatic force? | 14 How does the dramatist develop the acquisition, the holding, or the loss of power by characters? Discuss the role of power. | 15 What elements of fantasy play in the lives of the characters? How is it presented to the audience and for what effect on the audience? | 16 How does a dramatist present either essential or expendable characters? Discuss why characters are seen as either of these in the play. |
17 How does the play show either the depth that human beings can sink or the ridiculousness of human actions? | 18 How does the dramatist develop believable or unbelievable characters? How does this impact the dramatic force of the play? | 19 In what ways does the play show a struggle between internal and external forces? | 20 How do characters and the choices they make contribute to the meaning of the play? |
21 How does a dramatist present a central focus for the audience through what is being said (dialogue) versus what is being done (action)? | 22 How does the play explain individuals more than relationships? | 23 How does the dramatist present characters who are oppressors or victims, dominant or subservient, users and used? How does the power play contribute to the conflicts and themes in the play? | 24 Comedy can expose human weakness while tragedy can show human strength. How is this true in the play? |
25 How does a change in status for a character help convey ideas and/or values of the dramatist? | 26 How does scene changes highlight the development of characters and their relationships? | 27 How does the use of stock or stereotypical characters contribute to the overall themes in the play? | 28 How can characters be representative of a group such as those based on generation, class, or a gender? |
29 How has the dramatist used a dramatic arrival or departure to enrich the work? | 30 How do characters often break the “fourth wall” by communicating directly with the audience? | 31 How do dramatists use compressed or expanded time frames to develop the tensions and conflicts in the play? | 32 How does the author use setting to represent the historical or sociological context for the audience? How is the setting emphasized and to what effect? |
33 How does the dramatist use sound and/or lighting to convey ideas? | 34 How does the dramatist vary the pace and rhythm of the play to aid in the dramatic force or tension of the play? | 35 How does the play have a social or political purpose? | 36 What role does symbolism play in the drama? |
37 How does the play pose a question about the world or about the human condition? | 38 How does dialogue or monologues/soliloquies advance the principal themes in the play? | 39 How does a love story either sit at the center of the play or intrude its concerns into central issues? | 40 A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. How does the dramatist use dramatic irony to develop the tension and conflicts in the play? |
41 “Drama is created by placing ordinary people in situations of crisis.” How does this statement apply to the play? | 42 How do contradictions, oppositions, or juxtapositions progress the plot of the play? | 43 How important is the sense of spatial confinement to the drama? How does the action take place in limited spaces? | 44 How does the dramatist use silence to suggest ideas in the play? How does silence develop conflicts or characters? |
45 How do dramatists use character foils to contrast one another and highlight the ideas and values of characters? | 46 How does a dramatist’s blocking (how and when characters move on stage) impact the dramatic force? | 47 How does the dramatist develop a focus or a split focus for the audience? How does this influence the way the audience understands the play? | 48 How does the drama develop satirical elements in the play? A satire is a work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities, and follies. |
49 How does the playwright seek to direct our attention to particular moments in the drama he or she has crafted and explore the effects created? | 50 How does the dramatist develop the crisis or turning point in the play? | 51 How does the dramatist develop the catastrophe, the action that leads to the denouement of the tragedy? | 52 How does the dramatist use a subplot in order to enhance or support the main plot? |
53 Some characters remain static; they don’t change. With reference to at least two plays you have studied, compare how static characters are used and to what effect. | 54 It has been said that all drama teaches. With reference to at least two plays you have studied, compare the methods used to teach or educate the audience and consider their effects. | 55 “It is not enough for a playwright to explode a loose series of brilliant fireworks: they must set each other off like a chain reaction.” Compare the way this series of events, each caused by the previous (or an earlier) one, is constructed in the play. | 56 “In creating characters in drama, one may begin with stereotypes, but must end with individuals.” Discuss how far such a “rule” is demonstrated or not in the play |
42
How do contradictions, oppositions, or juxtapositions progress the plot of the play?
Example of 11 Sentence Paragraph for Modeling
When writing your detailed paragraph, please include at least 11 sentences to fully develop your point. Use the following model as a guide.
TS=topic sentence
PT=point
PR=proof
SU=support
CS=concluding sentence
TS: Shakespeare uses metaphorical and ironic language in order to express that things are not what they seem. PT: When Claudius and Gertrude confront Hamlet about his grief, he implies that they really have no understanding to the depths of his despair. PR: He tells his mother, “Seem, madam! nay it is; I know not ‘seems’” (1.2.78). SU: In this passage, he is responding to Gertrude’s request for him to not continuing mourning his father’s death. Through this statement, Hamlet suggests that his mother has no idea of the suffering he experiences by playing on the word “seems.” PT: Shakespeare then includes a series of litotes or understatements in order to emphasize his grief. PR: When he says that “Nor customary suits of solemn black” or “Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,” he implies that this is just his appearance of grief--it is not truly how he feels. SU: By starting each line with “Nor” or No,” he shows the contrast between reality and his feelings by negating his emotions. PT: His metaphorical language also reinforces this theme. PR: Hamlet says that “nor the fruitful river in the eye” can “denote” his true feelings. SU: Shakespeare uses this metaphor of a river to show the tears that he has over his father’s death. With this comparison, he reinforces the idea that there are different shapes to grieving, and the river in the eye, or the unending tears are only part of his grief. CS: Hamlet concludes by stating that man has many “actions” that he might play in his outward appearance of grief, but he implies that it is only the individual on the inside who can truly see to the extent of one’s suffering.
RUBRIC
Name______________________________
Level | Criterion A: Analyzing | SCORE |
0 | Not turned in or does not address assignment requirements | |
1-2 F | The student: i. provides limited analysis of the content, context, language, structure, technique and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts ii. provides limited analysis of the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience iii. rarely justifies opinions and ideas with examples or explanations; uses little or no terminology | 50 60 |
3-4 C- C B- | The student: i. provides adequate analysis of the content, context, language, structure, technique and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts ii. provides adequate analysis of the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience iii. justifies opinions and ideas with some examples and explanations, though this may not be consistent; uses some terminology | 70 74 78 82 |
5-6 B A- | The student: i. competently analyses the content, context, language, structure, technique, style of text(s) and the relationship among texts ii. competently analyses the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience iii. sufficiently justifies opinions and ideas with examples and explanations; uses accurate terminology | 85 88 91 |
7-8 A+ A | The student: i. provides perceptive analysis of the content, context, language, structure, technique, style of text(s) and the relationship among texts ii. perceptively analyses the effects of the creator’s choices on an audience iii. gives detailed justification of opinions and ideas with a range of examples, and thorough explanations; uses accurate terminology | 94 97 100 |