Analyzing the Shakespearean Drama: Structure

Drama Analysis

Analyzing a drama is similar to analyzing other works of literature, and the purpose of drama analysis is the same: to determine the theme or deeper meaning of the text. There are certain steps to take in order to fully analyze a drama. View the video below that will take you through 10 Steps in order to craft a drama analysis:

Shakespearean Drama Analysis

Shakespeare's plays also have other elements to analyze that all other plays might not have:

The Five Act Structure
The Use of Allusions
The Use of Blank Verse
The Use of Monologue and Soliloquy

Shakespearean Drama Structure

Shakespeare's plays typically follow a certain structure that follows the plot pyramid you are probably familiar with:

Plot Diagram:
-Exposition
-Rising Action
-Climax
-Falling Action
-Resolution

Recall that a playwright divides the play into different Acts that are similar to chapters in a book, and Shakespearean Dramas follow the Five Act Structure which divides the five plot points across the five acts:

Five Act Structure Example

Let's view an example of the Five Act Structure from Romeo and Juliet:

View the full text from the image above.

Act 1: Prologue (Exposition)
- In fair Verona...a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. The fearful passage of their death-marked love and the continuance of their parents' rage, which led to their children's deaths.
Act 2: Rising Action
- Romeo and Juliet fall in love but cannot be together because their families do not like each other. They decide to get married in secret.
Act 3: Climax
- After crashing the Capulet party, Tybalt goes after the Montague crew and kills Mercutio. To avenge his friend, Romeo duels with and kills Tybalt - Juliet's cousin. Romeo is banished, but before he goes he stays the night with Juliet.
Act 4: Falling Action
- Juliet's father requests that she marries Count Paris. However, to escape a second wedding, she and Friar Lawrence concoct a plan to make it appear as if she dies. By taking a sleeping potion!
Act 5: Conclusion/Denouement
- Being the only person who knows the whole story, the Friar explains it to the families who decided to finally end their grudge.

Drama Analysis Self-Assessment

Now, practice how many steps of drama analysis you remember with the activity below:

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