Midterm essay

Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Midterm Essay Compare Aristotle's "The Poetics" and Freytag's Pyramid. What rules may overlap in these concepts? What is different about the focus in each analysis base? Which one is better for today`s plays? According to Freytag`s Pyramid, the plot (plan) of the play is based on the following. A diagram of theatrical arrangement showing complication and emotional anxiety, which is rising like one side of a pyramid ending towards its peak hence representing the climax of the action. Immediately the climax is over, the descending side of the pyramid portrays the fall in tension and complication and the play reaches its conclusion. A sample chart is available whereby Freytag designed the chart in order to discuss tragedy though it can be applied to many kinds of literature. Climax Rising Action Falling Action Exposition denouement Freytag Pyramid Freytag has also used exposition to sum up background material rather than revealing this information using gradual narrative details. Generally, this tool is considered unartful, more purposely when creative writer`s contrast showing and telling. For instance, a certain writer might use exposition by writing, "Rose was annoyed when she left the room and climbed in to her saloon car outside." This sentence tells us about Rose, for instance, using exposition. However, the writer might change this sentence in the following version. "Red faced with nostrils flaring, Rose banged the door and trudged over to her saloon car outside." According to this sentence, the writer is depicting Rose antagonism rather than using exposition to tell the audience she is annoyed. Climax/crisis: This refers to the moment in a play when the crisis reaches its position of maximum intensity and it is thus resolved. Here, it refers to the peak of emotional reply from a person who reads or spectator. At the climax of the drama, it overlaps with the tragedy of a story but some opponents have used the two terms synonymously. The setting of the drama: This is the general location, historical time and the social circumstances in which a dramatic work occurs. The setting of an event refers to the corporeal location where it takes place. For example, the general setting of Joyce`s "the dead" is a quay named Ushers Island to the west of central Dublin in the beginning of 1900s. Setting can be an essential factor in the meaning of a work whereby the general setting is established through description. The unity of action and time is also revered to as the three dramatic unities. In the 1500s, many critics in drama expanded Aristotle`s thoughts in the poetics to creating the rule of three unities. A significant play according to this principle must have these three traits according to the Aristotle`s three dramatic unities. The first is unity of action comprising events following a single plotline plus a limited number of characters, which are encompassed by a sense of verisimilitude. The second unit is the unity of time meaning that the events should be limited three hours it takes to view the play. The third is the unity of space meaning the play must take in to consideration a single setting or a location. It is commonly notable that Shake spear often broke the three unities in his plays thus explaining why these rules later were never as central in England as they were in French neoclassical drama. Soliloquy: A monologue spoken by an actor in the play when the character believes being alone by himself. This technique is revealing character innermost thoughts, which include his feelings, his state of mind, motives or intensions. Soliloquy frequently provides essential but hard to find information to the listeners hence becoming a weaker tool in this case. The theatrical convention is, anything a character says in a soliloquy to the listeners must be factual or rather true in the eyes of the character speaking for instance, a character may tell lies to deceive other actors in the play but, whatever is stated in the soliloquy is absolutely a true mirror of what the speaker believes or rather feels. Oedipus is a better man than Hamlet." Defend or deny. Is Oedipus more a man of action than Hamlet? Or is he more a man driven by sudden and rash decisions? Does Hamlet show any signs of selfish motives in his actions? Does Oedipus have any of Claudius motives when he kills the king, Laius? Then which murder is more ...