A careless assumption that

Drama is related with action not

with the characterization
(development of character)
 Character as an element in novel is
important

Also in Drama
 Henry Arthur Jones 1851-1929,
English Dramatist
Demands of the audience or the
reader (like a child); Tell me a
story
 Story, incident and situation relates
to the development of the
character

If not related then, un-intellectual

 Characterization is really
fundamental and everlasting
element in the greatness of any
dramatic work.
 Illustration

Shakespeares Macbeth is a
remarkable tragedy because of
the character
Macbeth himself
and not the action
(murders) that he
performs.
 Merchant of Venice is a great
Comedy because of the characters
that perform such actions
Characterization in the
Drama
CONDITION 1:

BREVITY OF TREATMENT
 Dramatist,unlike Novelist should
concern purpose and character
within narrow restricted few scenes

Alsoshould be concerned
with the progress of the
story
 Illustration
Macbeth: condensed treatment of action and
character

Macbeth and his wife interesting characters in

literature reality and enigma of life
 But
very few lines to describe -
Characterization done in just one act

Withinfirst act
(brevity/shortness), we
come to know about
these two characters
motives
 In
this first act within a limited
setting, characterization is done

Only some 25 pages, 500 lines, lady

Macbeth speaks 14/60 times, Macbeth
speaks 27/150 times
 Concentration
most carefully
considered emphasis upon the qualities

Every dialogue must tell something

All unnecessary talks must be avoided

 Character
presented should be adequate to
the demands made by the plot

The characteristics of the hero which

influence the course of the action should be
made well known
 Over-characterization
Dramatist shouldnt be absorbed too
deeply in development of character -
ex. Hamlet
Characterization in the
Drama

CONDITION 2

IMPERSONALITY
 Novelist
- freedom to lay his
thoughts and feelings and pass
judgments upon the characters

Freedom to disclose their

personalities through the novelists
writing
 Dramatist - no freedom

Here,Novel is superior to the drama

in the field of characterization
 Then

Howdoes a playwright disclose their

personalities to us?

How does he make us realize what

manner of men and women they
are?
 Medium of Plot (story) and
utterances (dialogues) of his
characters
Methods of Characterization
in Drama
 Action predicts character

Action helps to develop a character

We know a character by what they

do (action)
 How a story (plot) is
evolved?
Ina good play (like in a novel), the plot
totally depends upon the characters

A plot develops naturally due to the

given people (characters) with such
disposition , motives (intentions) and
passions brought together in
situations which give rise to influence
or clash of interests among them.
 DenisDiderot - 18th century French
philosopher, art critic, and writer.

Stopped his ears and tried isolating the

action from the dialogue to study the
action separately

This
makes it difficult to understand the
broad characteristics of their principal
personalities
 To
understand characterization, it is
necessary to refer to actions
accompanied by the dialogue

Dialogue
is an essential
supplementary to the action in a play

The dialogue also helps in

comprehending the plot or story of the
play
 In
novel, dialogue does the work of
analysis and commentary

In
drama, not only does the work of
analysis and commentary, but also
works as a substitute for them
 Dialogue
in drama a means for
Characterization

The dialogue spoken by a given person

The
remarks made about him by other
characters in the play

Utterances (dialogues) of any person (character)

in a play is a running commentary upon
his/her conduct and character
 actionis on stand still but
utterances continues through
thoughts, feelings and motives

Mere talk directly concerned

with the character and indirectly with
the incident
 Some characters might tell about
themselves (reveal) unconsciously and
by implication through the dialogues

"Look at that face!

Would anyone vote
for that? Can you
imagine that, the
face of our nextpresident?!"

(a misogynist comment)
Reveal through Surprise

Some characters might hide their

real nature, in this case, they will
reveal only in some sudden turn of
action (a surprise).
 Ifa new characteristic trait is to
be introduced in the later part of
the play, then the motive for it must
be laid in the beginning itself, so that
the spectators might enjoy fully the
pleasure of surprise
Direct and indirect portrayal

Direct self portrayal done by the

character itself will be helpful to
understand a character. This instead will
be strengthened by the dialogues of other
characters upon this character. (i.e.
Indirect portrayal)
 Indirect Portrayal
Indirect
portrayal should be tested with
reference to the character of the
speaker (other character who may say
anything as he might be a hater of the
character on whom he is commenting)
Indirect portrayal: example

In the opening scene of

King John, Elinor (King Johns
mother) uses the words
ambitious Constance.

critics assumed that

Shakespeare intended us to
think that Constance is
Ambitious.
 She wants her son Arthur to
become king of England.
because the crown should
passes from the father to his
oldest son.

By rights, the crown should

have passed to Geoffrey
(her husband) and then to Arthur
(his son)

-not to John (Geoffrey was John's

older brother).
 Indirect portrayal:
Illustrations
Merchant of Venice:

Antonio

Julius and Caesar:

Caesar
 There
is one exception where a
Dialogue becomes the only
substitute a dramatist has for a
novels direct analysis and
commentary

Soliloquy and its subdivision Aside

These devices takes us more closer

to a characters real nature and
 Soliloquy

Long speech made by the character

which reveals his/her thoughts and
only the spectators hear it. The
character speaks to himself in solitary
 Aside

Short comment made on another

character meant to be heard only
by the spectators and not the
characters on the stage
Soliloquy: no Confidants

During soliloquy, it is improper to have a

confidant

So the audience must observe whether

the character upon the stage takes any
notice of the audience as a confidant.
Example: directly talking with the
audience
 If
he expects a confidant then it is
meaningless.

Soliloquy is only a dramatists

attempt to make the audience know
the characters thoughts but not
be part of it as a confidant.
Modern plays
 Modern Plays: on
Soliloquy
dontadapt soliloquy, lest it might
be stamped as Old-fashioned or not
Dramatic

Dialogues are sufficient to reveal a

character

Thisis a general change in our ideas

of dramatic technique -
characterization
 Butin older drama, it is an established
principle

Shakespeare used it again and again to

make us participants of his characters
intimate thoughts and desires

dialoguesand actions do help in

characterization but soliloquies and
aside reveal a character faster
 What did we learn?

Conditions

Brevity
impersonality

Methods

Action, dialogue, soliloquy, aside