The Anatomy of Dramatic Text and Stage Performance

I. The Dramatic Text and Theater Fundamentals

Dramatic text refers to literary works written specifically for representation by actors on stage. A key characteristic is the use of dialogue, replacing the figure of the narrator.

It is crucial to distinguish between the drama (the literary text) and the theatrical performance (the realization on stage, involving actors, costumes, scenery, etc.).

Key Features of Dramatic Text

• The Action: The scenic series of events that define the characters by their behavior.
• The Characters: Those who perform the action through dialogue.
• The Dramatic Tension: A mood of excitement, impatience, or anticipation produced in the viewer regarding an imminent event, aiming to maintain attention until the final outcome.

Attributes of Dramatic Action

Dramatic action must possess the following attributes:

1. Unity: The classic story demanded adherence to the "rule of three units" (a single place, time, and action). Today, only the unity of action is typically tracked: everything revolves around a central theme.
2. Integrity: The action must be complete, comprising exposition, climax, and denouement.
3. Likelihood (Verisimilitude): If the drama relates to depicted life, it must appear real.
4. Interest: The ability to attract and hold the viewer's attention.

A play consists of two types of text: the main text (primary) and the secondary text.

II. The Main Text (Content of the Work)

A. Structural Divisions

• Act

  A major temporal and narrative division, often marked by the raising and lowering of the curtain. While Greek theater did not use subdivisions, Latin writers and the Renaissance divided works into five acts (presentation, escalation, climax, decline, and end). The theater of Lope de Vega reduced this to three acts (exposition, climax, and denouement). Modern drama is also typically structured in three acts. Distinctions between acts are indicated by methods such as dropping the curtain, chorus intervention, or changing lights.

• Tableau (or Scene Change)

  A division marked by a total or partial change of scenery.

• Scene

  A smaller part of the work determined by the entrance or exit of actors. A change of scene occurs every time characters enter or leave the stage.

B. Forms of Expression

The main text utilizes several forms of expression:

• Dialogue

  The conversation exchanged between two or more characters.

• Monologue (or Soliloquy)

  The mode of expression when a single character speaks, often revealing inner thoughts or addressing the audience directly.

• Aside

  A way for one or more characters to speak about the action of the work, while the other characters on stage pretend not to hear or know what was said.

• The Chorus

  A collective character, primarily appearing in classical tragedies, which serves multiple functions:

  1. To represent the conscience or memory of a speaking character.
  2. To embody the figure of a fortune teller or prophet, predicting future events.
  3. To serve as a narrator or express the general reflections of the author.
  4. To represent a community or the general populace.

  The Chorus appears mostly in classical tragedies.

C. Development of the Action