Drama

Die Analyse eines Dramas auf Englisch erfordert eine gründliche Untersuchung verschiedener Elemente, um ein umfassendes Verständnis für die Struktur, Charaktere, Themen und Stil des Dramas zu entwickeln.

Aspects

Structure

Analysiere die dramatische Struktur des Stücks.
Achte auf den Aufbau von Akten (acts), Szenen (scenes) und Monologen (monologue).
Untersuche, wie die Struktur dazu beiträgt, Spannung aufzubauen und die Handlung voranzutreiben.

Constructs of action

Plot:
$\rightarrow$ Analysiere den Aufbau der Handlung, einschließlich der Exposition, des steigenden Handlungsverlaufs, des Höhepunkts, des fallenden Handlungsverlaufs und der Auflösung.
$\rightarrow$ achte auf Wendepunkte und Konflikte

Theme:
$\rightarrow$ Identifiziere die Hauptthemen des Dramas.
$\rightarrow$ Themen können moralischer, sozialer, politischer oder persönlicher Natur sein.
$\rightarrow$ Achte darauf, wie sie durch Dialoge, Handlung und Charakterentwicklung dargestellt werden.

Language and Style:
$\rightarrow$ Achte auf Metaphern, Symbolik und rhetorische Mittel.
$\rightarrow$ Überlege, wie der Stil zur Atmosphäre des Dramas beiträgt.

Setting:
$\rightarrow$ Untersuche den Handlungsort des Dramas und überlege, wie er zur Handlung, den Charakteren und den Themen beiträgt.

Symbols and Motives:
$\rightarrow$ Achte auf Symbole und wiederkehrende Motive im Drama.
$\rightarrow$ Überlege, welche Bedeutung sie haben und wie sie zur Gesamtaussage des Werks beitragen.

Characters

Untersuche die Haupt- und Nebencharaktere.
Analysiere ihre Entwicklung im Verlauf des Dramas, ihre Motivationen, Konflikte und Beziehungen zueinander.

Example Macbeth

Structure

drama Macbeth is divided into five acts of varying lengths
it a strict chronological sequence and follows Macbeth's career in order $\rightarrow$ from his rise to king to his fatal downfall in the final act
play consists almost solely of monologues and dialogs

Plot

drama "Macbeth" is based on the life of the Scottish king of the same name, Macbeth, who lived in the 11th century
Macbeth becomes king through his murder of Duncan, then establishes a tyrannical rule and is then overthrown by the English army, which first has to form
it is not possible to find out exactly how much time passes between the start of the action in the play and the end
there are no precise details in the drama, but the action certainly lasts several weeks

Language and Style

Only a view examples:

Anaphora (repetition of a word at the beginning of a sentence): "Whether he in league with Norway; whether backing the rebels [...] whether perhaps with both he helped to his country's ruin."
Accumulation (accumulation of terms): "How hound and greyhound, dazzling, quailhound, spitz, poodle, shepherd and half-wolf all the name dogs designates."
Antithesis (contrasting two opposing thoughts): "I can't catch you and yet I always see you." (p.32); "Here I threaten, he lives there." (S.33)
Monologues serve to show a characters thoughts to the audience but not other characters; they do not serve as interaction between other characters

Setting

the drama "Macbeth" is set almost entirely in Scotland
briefly at the English royal court
it takes place in the 11th century

Symbols and Motives

in Macbeth, light classically stands for good and darkness for evil
in "Macbeth", blood is used above all as a symbol for guilt
anyone who is stained with blood in the truest sense of the word is immediately considered guilty
sleep is portrayed positively in comparison to illness and death
death acts as a kind of leading motif and the audience encounters it in many forms

Useful Phrases

The development of the action corresponds with the play's division into acts/scenes.
The overall theme ot the play is ... / The play is divided into ... acts and... scenes ...
In the play the conflicts develop between ...
The audience is drawn into the plot by ... / The action is supposed ot please/shock/enrage/fascinate the audience ...
The ... act ends in a cliffhanger / In the end the conflict is solved.
The stage directions draw a concise picture of the scenery/ There are almost no stage directions, so ... / The play works with almost no props/a bare stage ...
Even though X appears as a friendly character at first, he later shows /... stands for/ represents...
The social differences between the characters can be seen in the language they use speak in blank verse ... / The characters speak in blank verse ...