Backwards and Forwards: Notes
PLOT
¨ Stasis- What would keep happening if something new didn't come along and cause something new to happen?
¨ Point of Attack – the place where the play starts and why it specifically starts there
¨ Exposition – When/Where is it delivered and by whom? Who know what & who doesn't?
¨ "Triggers & Heaps" (series of actions) – Dominoes. What Actions lead to a following action, which in turn leads to yet another action?
¨ Forwards – Arouses audience interest in things yet to come.
¨ Opposing Forces – Identify the forces attempting to dominate in the world of the play
¨ Conflict – The want of the major character/s VS. the obstacle/s
¨ Climax – The moment when the opposing forces reach their critical mass and a resolution is formed. The reversal.
¨ Denouement – The final unraveling or solution to the plot
¨ New Stasis – Where does the world end up? Where does the movement stop until the next intrusion comes along?
CHARACTER
¨ Character(s) Motivation – What do they want in a big bad way? Their desire
¨ Obstacles – What opposes the motivation? What are they – actions, choices, circumstances, or what?
¨ Action/What? – What the characters does or is willing to do to satisfy the want
¨ Action/Why? – Why the character chooses these actions?
¨ Avowed Action/Why? vs. True Action/Why? – Why does the character SAY he does an action compared to the truth un why he does an action.
IMAGES
¨ Dominant Images – Images/motifs in the play that underscore or augment the play's action
¨ Repeated Images – Images that reappear throughout the course of the play
¨ Images in the Title – Is there a dominant image in the Title? What is its importance?
THINGS THEATRICAL
¨ What elicits a strong audience response?
THEME
¨ Interpret the author's potential messages – what issues is the author exploring
¨ What are the abstract concepts which part of all of the play is "about?"
OTHER THOUGHTS
¨ Background information on the playwright, era, and artistic environment of when the play was written
¨ Assume what's in a script is there on purpose
¨ Explore the family relationships in the script (customs, politics, laws, tastes, styles . . . )
¨ What makes the play unique? Why does the action occur on that specific day and time as opposed to the next day or the previous day?
¨ It takes more than one reading to get it all!