Evaluation and Criticism

1. Evaluation and Criticism • Does it meet the general requirements of this kind of play? • Are the playwright’s intentions stated, and does he achieve them? • How do we measure other kinds of achievement? • The specific merits of the play or playwright • The theme in relationship to the kind of play

2. Does it meet the general requirements of this kind of play? • Our major perspective of evaluation has to do with what is appropriate in a drama. That is, does a play meet the requirements which we generally make for plays of this kind. If for example, we have a domestic tragedy is that the hero or protagonist of the play be an ordinary, common sort of person, and then we note whether the author of the play in question follow this requirement.

3. Are the playwright’s intentions stated, and does he achieve them? • Again, our cardinal principle is to evaluate in the right way. In other words, if the playwright is trying, either directly or indirectly, to produce a certain effect, we must evaluate the play to a certain extent by way of describing the success with which that effect is (or is not) achieved.

4. Are the playwright’s intentions stated, and does he achieve them? • The playwright is writing a play for specific reasons and part of these reasons, at least, must come into our judgment of the work. • We can and must point out that the dramatist has apparently accomplished what he set out to do, but that resulting play is not very interesting or entertaining.

5. How do we measure other kinds of achievement? • Our estimation of a playwright’s success operates on as many different levels as we have elements of analysis. • Everything subject to analysis becomes automatically subject to evaluation. • Thus we can and usually should evaluate the playwright’s achievement in regard to character, to action, to language, to diction, to structure, and to meaning.

6. How do we measure other kinds of achievement? • Character should act in “character”. A character’s actions should be (1) consistent with one another; (2) consistent with the character’s beliefs, and (3) consistent with what we are told about that character by the other character • In the final analysis of a play we must try to piece together the various ways in which the playwright has or has not been consistent.

7. The specific merits of the play or playwright • A large part of any formal criticism is the explanation of the specific merits of either the play or playwright . • When we have carefully measured the success of the play in terms of what kind of play it claims to be and in terms of the playwright’s implied or stated intentions, it remains to point out what is unique about the play.

8. The theme in relationship to the kind of play • A final consideration is whether or not the play is the right kind of vehicle, for conveying the particular theme. • Granted that the playwright has successfully conveyed his stated theme, has achieved his desired goal.