Category: CLOSED Hodge 3: Dramatic Action & Characters

by Logan Turner

Name	Desire	Will	Moral Stance	Decorum	Adjectives
Willy	To live the American Dream, be well liked, attractive, and a good family provider.	STRONG: Willy blinds himself for the entire play with his delusions, and will not give in to anyone, even going so far as to kill himself for his son. He is willing to sacrifice everything.	Lives by the moral code of others. He follows the morals of Dave Singleman, and aspires to be exactly like him. He has a huge sense of duty to his family.	Thinks that appearance is very important. He also wants to be well liked. Plain suits (ie: average traveling salesman), blue collar, aged	Naïve, determined, caring, hopeful, wishful, driven, disillusioned, blinded, stubborn, childish, older, worn down.
Linda	To be a good wife and mother.	MEDIUM: She is extremely supportive of Willy, especially to his sons, but her desire is so simple, that she does not need much will to accomplish it.	Duty to husband and family. Sacrificial.	Dresses like a housewife. Always in the kitchen.	Downtrodden, miserable, devoted, liar, housewife, dutiful, loyal.
Biff	The American Dream, to be well liked and successful.	Starts MEDIUM, then becomes STRONGER at end of play: initially believed everything his father told him about how to be successful, but when these things don't work out, Biff realizes his father's errors and changes his own ways and starts to become a happier person because of it.	Follows ALL of Willy's values, and has not developed any of his own. Moral stance is more apt to change than Willy though, because Biff realizes how blinded they are.	Attractive, strong, broad-shouldered, living in Willy's shadow.	Failure, attractive, athletic, stupid, thief, disillusioned, hopeful, caring, eldest.
Happy	He wants his father, Willy, to approve of him, and to be equal to Biff in Willy's eyes.	WEAK: Happy has a weak will because he wants to be very different from his farther, but is so blinded by his father's ideals and philosophies that he, himself does not even realize it. He aspires to be nothing like his father, because he recognizes Willy's failures, but in the end cannot escape the family ties.	Rejects his father's ways and everything to do with him, tries to live life differently.	Unattractive, overweight.	Youngest, somewhat responsible, a player, blinded, well-built, ambitious, self-centred, vain, hedonistic.
Charley	The American Dream, to be successful and respected, but he does so in a very different way from Willy.	STRONG: Charley knows who he is, where he comes from, and what he wants€¦ and he doesn't care what others think of him.	He knows his place in the world and will not let anyone else sway that. He tries to help Willy realize his delusions.	Businesslike dress, nicer suits that Willy, confident.	Practical, not superficial, friendly, caring, successful, practical, ethical.

Hey guys.  I have made a list of important information from Hodge regarding our two sections.  Hope this helps!!

Dramatic Action

• clash of forces, continuous conflict
• Action and characters = core of plays
• “instruments that affect the action or are affected by it and forced to take action”
• exists only in present tense
• all action forces a counteraction. AKA Reciprocal Action
• the characters make an adjustment before taking on a new action
• plot = arrangement of action
• a new unit is delineated when someone enters the room or the focus of the action changes
• the smallest designation of dramatic action is a line.
• Each unit has its own objective
• Each speech can be reduced to a present tense verb
• DO NOT use verbs that cannot be acted.  It must force another actor to do something.
• page 33 gives procedure of breaking down units

Character Description

1.  Desire – what the character wants the most.  Usually not something tangible.

2.  Will – a characters strength in attaining his desires.  how much are they willing to give up?

3.  moral Stance – values.  Moral code that governs their behaviors.

4.  Decorum – physical appearance

5.  Summary adjectives – adjectives. Traits of the character their actions reveal.