1. Structure of the Play
A play/drama sets forth a problem or a conflict. In tragedy the
theme is dark and serious; in comedy, it is light and gay, with a
happy ending. The structure of the play/drama is the same in both
tragedy and comedy. The structure of a play is the order in which
action and scenes are placed.
A play requires mainly five parts and they are;
1. Exposition,
2. Complication (Rising Action)
3. Climax (or Crisis)
4. Denouement (or Falling Action)
5. Solution (in a comedy) or Catastrophe (in a tragedy)
Exposition- In the first act, it introduces the theme, setting,
characters, and circumstances at the beginning of the play. For
example, in the first act of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the
protagonist Hamlet is introduced and he is confronted with the
ghost of his dead father who informs him that King Claudius was
responsible for his death
Complication (Rising Action) –The action of the play begins to rise
in complication. The second act usually put forth complication. The
main conflict starts to develop and characters are presented in
greater detail.
Climax (or Crisis) - In the third act, the plot reaches its climax. The
course of the event takes a turn for the better or worse (according to
as the play is a comedy or a tragedy).
Denouement (or Falling Action) - In the fourth act, Denouement
unravels the complication. The action begins to fall in it.
2. Solution (in a comedy) or Catastrophe (in a tragedy) - The fifth act
finally offers a solution to the conflict presented in the comedy. In
tragedy, the catastrophe leads to the fate of the characters.
The typical Elizabethan drama was divided into five acts, each
comprising a number of scenes. The stage is simple - a mere
platform. The scenes followed each other in quick succession,
changes being indicated only by a notice on board. Elaborate
scenery and costumes came very much later and made possible
some splendid productions of famous plays.
But the five-act poetic drama went out of fashion in course of time,
and for the purposes of the modern dramatist, three acts proved to
be sufficient.
