Fusing a variety of influences (Aristotle, Stanislavsky, Kenneth Burke, and structuralism), this new text takes students through progressively complex levels of play reading in which they: respond to a first reading; gather information from the play (including given circumstances); interpret the characters and relate them to the conflict; and synthesize perceptions that have been revealed through analysis. Its central principle is that conflict is the essence of drama: the book lays out a systematic process for analyzing plays, relating each element to the conflict explored in each play.
INTRODUCTION: THE WHY AND WHAT OF PLAY ANALYSIS
Why Analyze a Play?
What Is Analysis?
Reading at Multiple Levels
The Influence of Aristotle, Stanislavsky, and Others
LEVEL ONE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS
CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST READING
Play Analysis Leads to "Doing"
Techniques for a First Reading
A Structural Concept of Comedy and Tragedy
A First Reading of The Glass Menagerie
Questions for a First Reading of Any Play
LEVEL TWO: GATHERING INFORMATION
CHAPTER 2: GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES
Given Circumstances: Stated and Implied
Accuracy and Given Circumstances
Research Sources
Backstory: Events and Relationships That Precede the Play
Setting: The Play’s When and Where
Social Systems That Affect the Characters
Cultural Norms
Plays in Translation
Plays in Fantastical Settings
Plays Emphasize Different Given Circumstances
Gathering Information on Given Circumstances in The Glass Menagerie
Questions about Given Circumstances in Any Play
Given Circumstance Index Cards
CHAPTER 3: THEATRICAL CONTRACT
Contracts vs. Conventions
Presentational and Representational Contracts
Realistic and Nonrealistic Contracts
The Theatrical Contract in The Glass Menagerie
Questions about the Theatrical Contract of Any Play
LEVEL THREE: INTERPRETATION
CHAPTER 4: CHARACTER
Aspects of Characters
Stage Directions as Character Information
Language Informs Us about Character
Dialogue Suggests Characters' Physical Actions
Language Reveals Characters' Thought Processes
Characters Evoke Conflict, and Conflict Reveals Character
Character in The Glass Menagerie
Questions About Character in Any Play
CHAPTER 5: CONFLICT
Concepts in Conflict Analysis
Processes for Determining the Conflict
Conflict in The Glass Menagerie
Questions about the Conflict Resolution Structure in Any Play
CHAPTER 6: CONFLICT ANALYSIS APPLIED TO A SCENE
The Scene as a Unit of Conflict
Conflict Analysis Applied to Scene 2 of The Glass Menagerie
Conflict in Scene 2 of The Glass Menagerie
Smaller Units: Actions and Beats
Actions and Beats in The Glass Menagerie
Questions about the Conflict-Resolution Structure in Any Scene
CHAPTER 7: SUPPLEMENTAL RESEARCH
Types of Supplemental Research
Summary
LEVEL FOUR: BRINGING IT TOGETHER
CHAPTER 8: SYNTHESIS
Conflict versus Theme
Relating Other Elements to Conflict
Questions about Synthesis in The Glass Menagerie
Testing and Enriching Our Analysis through Outside Resources
Conclusion
Questions about Synthesis in any Play
APPENDIX: ANALYZING SHAKESPEARE'S HAMLET
The Text of Hamlet
The First Reading
Given Circumstances
Theatrical Contract
Character, Language, and Thought Process
Conflict Analysis
Supplemental Research
Synthesis
How to Set Hamlet?
APPENDIX 2: CHARACTER MAPS
