1 / 10

American Drama

American Drama. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Benefits of Plays/Drama. Story brought to life through theater Dependent on nonverbal elements (movement/gesture/facial expressions) for meaning Public experience for viewer. Trials of Drama.

gudrun
Download Presentation

American Drama

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. American Drama Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

  2. Benefits of Plays/Drama • Story brought to life through theater • Dependent on nonverbal elements (movement/gesture/facial expressions) for meaning • Public experience for viewer

  3. Trials of Drama • Construct a story to catch, hold, and reward attention of audience • Construct characters the audience can become emotional about • Give characters something vital at stake

  4. Dramatic Terms • Conflict • External conflict: person vs. outside force • Internal conflict: person vs. self • Protagonist: major character who wants something and drives plot forward • Usually (not always) the “good guy” • Exposition • Background information about setting and characters given at the beginning of a play • Audience participation = brings play to life (not a term, but something you need to know.)

  5. American Realist Drama • Early 1900s • Removed the “fourth wall” for audiences to get a realistic look at characters’ lives • Fourth wall = metaphorical wall that would otherwise separate the audience from the stage, keeping us from seeing the story • Revolt against commercial theater, traditional storylines • Characters dealt with realistic issues

  6. Theater Today: A Revolt Against Realism • More theatrical, fewer constraints • complex sets, special effects, complex scripts, etc. • Playwrights have more freedom to express themselves

  7. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible • Miller = “Playwright of our social conscience” • Emphasized moral issues • Married to Marilyn Monroe (fun fact!) • “Crucible” Definitions • a container made of a substance that can resist great heat • the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace where the molten metal collects • A severe test or trial

  8. Storyline • Surface level: Salem Witch Trials • Group of young girls in 1692 began to behave strangely • Doctors determined they were bewitched and the girls named townspeople of Salem, MA as witches • 8 months: 150 imprisoned • 27 convicted, 19 hanged, 1 pressed to death, 50 confessed, over 100 imprisoned and awaiting trial

  9. “Real” Meaning • Allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare of the 1950s. • Joseph McCarthy (WI Senator 1946-1957) accused gov. officials, members of the media, celebrities, etc. of having Communist ties and sympathies • Artists and professionals (actors, playwrights, authors, journalists, politicians, etc.) were often blacklisted following accusations • Red Scare often referred to as a “witch hunt” • McCarthy influence declined after accusing the secretary of the Navy, led to questioning of McCarthy’s tactics and motives

  10. Themes • Personal vs. public lives • Conflict between self and community • Mass hysteria/mob mentality (real thing) • Power of terror, unknown drives people to extreme behavior/actions

More Related