Creative Writing – Elements, Techniques and Literary Devices in Drama

Drama in literature refers to the performance of written dialogue and stage action. It’s a
literary genre that allows actors to act out a writer’s words directly to an audience.

It is a composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime a story

involving conflict or contrast of character, especially one intended to be acted on the
stage.

It is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the

literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of play written
for theater, television, radio, and film.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LITERARY DRAMA

 Comedies are usually humorous plays that use clever wordplay or turns of phrase.

 Farce is a comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations,

stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration, and violent horseplay.

 Melodrama is a dramatic work wherein the plot, which is typically sensational and
designed to appeal strongly to emotions, takes precedence over detailed
characterization. It normally concentrates on dialogue, which is often bombastic or
excessively sentimental, rather than action.

 Musical Drama is an opera in which the musical and dramatic elements are
equally important; the music is appropriate to the action. Opera – a drama set to
music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral
overture and interludes.

 Tragedy is a genre of story in which a hero is brought down by his/her own flaws,
usually by ordinary human flaws – flaws like greed, over-ambition, or even an
excess of love, honor, or loyalty.

 Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic
forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic
play that contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious
play with a happy ending.

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

In literature, drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The story
progresses through interactions between its characters and ends with a message for the
audience.

The six Aristotelian elements of drama are the plot, character, thought, diction,
spectacle, and song.

1. Plot refers to the order of events occurring in a play to make its plot. Essentially,
the plot is the story that the play narrates. The entertainment value of a play
depends largely on the sequence of events in the story.
Most stories have a beginning, middle and an end. However, your drama doesn’t have to
run in this linear order.

At the most basic level, there are five primary elements of plot: exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action, and resolution. This is also referred to as dramatic structure, as it
originated from plays.

A linear plot consists of a series of events that have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
The story unfolds in a chronological order, which means they are told in the order they
happened. The structure above is an example of a linear plot.

A nonlinear plots describe events out of chronological order. Present events may be
interrupted to describe past situations, or a story may start at the middle or end instead
of the beginning. In nonlinear plots, authors may employ different literary techniques to
tell their stories. Some common techniques include flashbacks, foreshadowing, subplots,
and parallel plots.

2. Characters refers a person or individual in the drama that may have defined
personal qualities and/or histories.

Most writers have an inherent understanding of how to categorize their characters based
on classic, “comic book-style” labels: heroes, villains, sidekicks, etc.

There are many ways to categorize main characters: protagonist or antagonist, dynamic
or static character, and round or flat characters. A character can also often fit into more
than one category or move through categories.

A protagonist is a main character who generates the action of a story and engages the
reader’s interest and empathy. The protagonist is often the hero or heroine. An
antagonist is a character who opposes the protagonist.

A dynamic character is one who goes through some sort of change; they show character
development. A protagonist is usually a dynamic character.

A static character refers to those who do not change throughout the course of the story.
They serve to show contrast to dynamic ones, refusing to grow and remaining in one
place or mentality.
A flat character refers to the two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated
and do not change throughout the course of a work. A round character is complex and
undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader.

3. Thought or called to be the theme refers to its central idea. It can either be
clearly stated through dialog or action, or can be inferred after watching the entire
performance. The theme is the philosophy that forms the base of the story or a
moral lesson that the characters learn.

4. Diction is the language used to depart information, reveal characters,

characterize, direct attention, reveal themes and ideas, establish mood/ tone,
establish tempo/ rhythm appropriate to character.

Diction pertains to the words used, the accent, tone, pattern of speech, and even the
pauses in speech, say a lot about the character and help reveal not just his personality,
but also his social status, past, and family background as given by the play.

Monologues and soliloquies that are speeches given to oneself or to other characters
help put forward points that would have been difficult to express through dialogs.

There are various forms of dialogs which are:

 Soliloquy – an act of speaking one’s thought aloud when by oneself or regardless of

any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
 Monologue – refers to a speech delivered by a character in order to express his
thoughts and feelings to other characters or the audience.
 Asides – are shorter than soliloquies, usually only one or two lines.
 Dialogue – refers to a conversation between two or more characters in a work of
literature.

5. Spectacle is the most immediate element which is appropriate and distinctive in a

play. This refers to the visual elements of a play: sets, costumes, special effects,
etc. Spectacle is everything that the audience sees as they watch the play.

Spectacle refers to the visual elements which leads to performance as this defines how
the play is presented to the audience. The use and organization of stage properties and
the overall setting of a play.

6. Songs refers to the sound of the dialog, etc. musicality, rhythm, pace, etc. which
helps establish mood, characterize, lend variety, pleasurable.

This element includes the use of sounds and rhythm in dialogs as well as music
compositions that are used in the plays. The background score, the songs, and the sound
effects used should complement the situation and the characters in it. The right kind of
sound effects or music, if placed at the right points in the story, act as a great
supplement to the high and low points in the play. The music and the lyrics should go
well with the play’s theme. If the scenes are accompanied by pieces of music, they
become more effective on the audiences.

The structure of the story comprises the way in which it is dramatized. How well the
actors play their roles and the story’s framework constitute the structure of drama.
Direction is an essential constituent of a play. A well-directed story is more effective.
Stagecraft defines how the play is presented to the audience. The use and organization
of stage properties and the overall setting of a play are a part of stagecraft, which is a
key element of drama.

TECHNIQUES IN DRAMA

In play, even if you’re a natural performer who can cry on command and memorize lines,
you’ll need to learn the following fundamental drama techniques to really master the art
of acting. The following are the techniques in drama.

 Body, in drama character is conveyed through posture, gesture and facial

expression. In this way the audience can instantly identify with a character type or
understand a situation without a word being spoken.

 Space, in drama, the positioning of objects and bodies on the stage and the
relationship between them are vital means of making meaning.

 Grouping Levels, Pathways and Personal Space are all important aspects of space.

 Voice pertains on how actors speak their lines instantly identify personality and
emotion. Volume, pitch, pausing intonation, pace and accent can all influence
audience understanding of a character and the tension of the scene.

 Movement refers to the use of timing, direction and energy to build a sustained
sequence of movement can enhance understanding of character and the meaning
of the scene.

LITERARY DEVICES IN DRAMA

To understand the literary devices in drama, Shakespeare used many literature devices,
below are the most important ones, most central to his work.

 Allusion is a reference to a person, place, or event, usually without explicit

identification. Allusions can be references to mythology, the bible, historical
events, geography, legends, or other literary works. Authors often use allusion to
establish a tone, create and implied association, contrast two objects or people,
make an unusual juxtaposition of references, or bring the reader into a world of
experience outside the limitations of the story itself.

 Dramatic device is a convention used in drama as a substitution for reality that the
audience accepts as real although they know them to be false. These techniques
give the audience information they could not get from the straightforward
presentation of action plays.

 Dramatic Irony is a literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s

understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters.
Dramatic Irony is a form of irony that is expressed through a work’s structure: an
audience’s awareness of the situation in which a work’s characters exist differs
substantially from that of the characters’, and the words and actions of the
characters therefore take on a different – often contradictory – meaning for the
audience than they have for the work’s characters.
Joseph Arnone was born in New York City. He be began his artistic pursuits by directing
theatre productions with a mixture of modern and classical playwrights, as well as
writing and staging his own original material. After many years of working in theatre,
Joseph has since taken his directing mainly unto film, having had his productions
screened at notable film festivals worldwide. The films he has directed explore self-
reflection, involving characters who tend to confront their past. Joseph Arnone is the
founder and CEO of Monologue Blogger, an online entertainment publication and
platform, which has grown a significantly large worldwide audience.

Crashing in My Ears

Joseph Arnone
WALLACE sits in his den while being interviewed by his niece ROBERTA for her journalism
course in college. I man, I woman. Drama.

Roberta: Talk to me about how it starts…

Wallace: I’ve already told you.

Roberta: I need more detail, you’re being vague.

Wallace: You’re exhausting.

Roberta: You promised you would help me.

Wallace: I know but you left out the fact that this would be a two-day interview. I thought
this was going to last only a few hours at best.

Roberta: Nope. Now walk me through your process.

Wallace: You’re a pain in the ass. (beat) Okay…there’s this crashing in my ears. I hear it
when I’m alone, sitting on the couch… there’s a ceremony to it… I adjust the lighting to a
dim, grab a glass of red wine and sit dead center on my cushion couch.

I slightly adjust my eyelids, almost closed but enough to sort of put myself in a dream
state… that’s when things become real quiet and I feel myself enter into a different
frequency…it’s the hearing, the hearing shifts and it begins…

Roberta: Is that when you make contact?

Wallace: I believe I do.

Roberta: Does it work every time?

Wallace: Always.

Roberta: How did you discover this way of communication?

Wallace: Ever since I was a little boy, surrealistic things would happen to me and I would
give myself over to them…sort of like an imaginary world but in fact it’s reality, just a
different place and time that I touch.

Roberta: How long do these spells last?

Wallace: Spell, good word, it almost feels like a spell. I timed myself once. I would say it
doesn’t exceed ten minutes. The longer I’m in it, the more things start to fade.

Roberta: And what do these experiences tell you?

Wallace: All kinds of things, Not all of them make sense to me. But for the past three
years, it’s been daunting and I’ve been getting these real dark images and sounds. It
usually begins with buildings crumbling, people screaming… I hear breathing, I see loads
of destruction.

Roberta: Can you elaborate?

Wallace: Not so sure I really should, sweetheart. I know this is important for your college
report but at this point things get real complicated.

Roberta: Uncle Wallace, please. You need to go further, this is getting so interesting.

Wallace: I want you to get a good grade and all but believe me, the things I’ve seen and
the things I’ve heard…it’s traumatic.

Roberta: Can’t you go a little further for me? …Please Uncle Wallace.

Wallace: (sighs) There’s chaos in the streets. People running, disfigured…there’s a little
boy I can’t ever remove from my mind. He must be about nine years old, olive skin, dark
hair, bi brown hard… he’s screaming and looking out…I follow his eyes to a man who is
collapsed on a chair with a large spike running through his chest…the man is pinned,
spiked…from what appears to be a piece of steel from a building I believe. This child is
screaming out for his father and it’s…I feel the boy’s agony which is the agony of all the
people. When I encounter this boy, it usually brings me back. It’s just so unfathomable.

Roberta: …What do you think all of these means?

Wallace: There may come a time…let’s just pray and hope that things get circumvented.
I believe that these visions I receive can be altered. Nothing is permanent. Everything
around us is in constant evolution within its own truthful reality. You follow?

Roberta: Yes. When was the first time you encountered this type of vision or experience?

Wallace: I was five years old. I was walking along the beach with my father and I
suddenly witnessed a boat accident. I asked my father what happened to the man as I
pointed to this speed boat that streamed on by. An hour later there was this horrific
accident that took place with the very same boat. My father just looked at me in a
strange way but never spoke about it ever again. The way in which he stared at me
made me learn to keep my mouth shut. At least, until I get much older.

Roberta: When did you first start talking about your visions?

Wallace: I became the black sheep of the family. You may already know this… I got lost in
drugs and drinking…going in and out of insane asylums was like getting up in the
morning, routine. After years of this and I mean years…I met a man sleeping in an
alleyway one night. He was a Buddhist monk. Now, at first, I thought I’d finally kicked the
bucket because I’d seen this man before…he was what I would call a spirit guide. I have
three… he is one of them and he gestured for me to follow him, which I did and he led
me down this long corridor and I felt for the first time in my life one with myself…this
great inner peace washed over me and then through me and this meeting I had taught
me that I wasn’t crazy and showed me how to harness the potential I had inside myself.
That’s when everything changed.

Roberta: okay…I think we should take a break at this point.

Wallace: Take a break? Aren’t we done?

Roberta: For the first part.

Wallace: First part?

Roberta: Your books are bestsellers, Uncle Wallace, you can’t have your niece being a
lousy writer, correct?

Wallace: Well, you’re too smart for me, and you –

Roberta: So you need to play ball and let me conduct the interview to the extent we
agreed on. (beat) Just a few more questions after we snack and then I’ll be out of your
hair.

Wallace: Don’t get me wrong, I love your company. I’ve seen you more these last two
days than twenty! (he chuckles) I’m just not one for interviews. I’ve never given one
before.

Roberta: I’m your niece so I guess you’re gonna have to deal with me.

Wallace: It’s okay. Just don’t drill me because it’s starting to sting.

Roberta: I won’t. I’ll make us sandwiches and then ask you a few more important
questions and we’re done. Yeah?

Wallace: Do I have a choice?

Roberta: Nope.

Wallace: Right.

Based on the story “Crashing in my Ears”, answer the following questions below.

1. Where did the story take place?

2. Who were the main characters in the story?
3. What was the relationship of Wallace to Roberta?
4. What important details have been revealed in the plot of the story?
5. What do you think is the conflict in the story? Justify your answer.
6. Cite specific scenario that foreshadow significant event in the story?
7. What did Wallace experience when he was five years old?
8. What was mainly the purpose of Roberta’s interview with Wallace?
9. What was the advice of Wallace to Roberta when seeing such visions?
10. Did you experience these visions experiences by Wallace in the story?
Explain your answer.