Examination of a play assigned in the course to (1) identify its component parts, (2) explain their arrangement, and deduce the meaning that arises from them and their relation to the world.
Assignment: Evaluate/Analyze a significant issue, theme and the literary aspect(s) (symbolism, character, plot structure, style -see full list below-) within the play. Write an essay that sheds light on any of the following play(s) and argue whether it can be defined as (or not) a great work of literature. Tennesse Williams. A Streetcar Names Desire. Essential Elements of Play analysis:
PLOT: analyze the plot.
CHARACTERS: using the Character Analysis outline, analyze the characters. <–This was posted earlier in Module 3. 🙂
THOUGHT: Explain the nature of the world created by the playwright. What forces operate in this situation? What does it mean to be a human being in this world? What threatens the characters? What solutions are available? How are problems resolved, if they are resolved at all? What sort of feelings are aroused by these characters, these events?
DICTION (LANGUAGE): Describe the play's language and any rhetorical plays on language associated with it. Prose or poetry? Poetry: rhymed or un-rhymed? metrical or free? imitative of daily speech or highly manipulated? Prose: rhythm imitative of daily speech or highly manipulated? Both: dialect and vocabulary of daily life or elevated/manipulated? Relationship of character and diction?
MUSIC: Describe the playwright's choices regarding rhythm, time, and sound. Include examples of rhythmic repetitions of sounds, words, lines, or scenes; hurried or leisurely speech or movement; music or sound effects.
SPECTACLE: Describe important elements of the settings and explain how each should appear to create appropriate mood and atmosphere and assist the communication of idea. Explain whether the setting is necessary or significant to the events or ideas of the play or is merely appropriate background. Describe other important elements of spectacle.
Lastly, Your Analysis: What does all this add up to? On the basis of the evidence, you have described above, explain as fully as you can the meaning (particular point, general truth, argument, or proposition) embodied by the playwright in the selection and arrangement of the materials of this play.
