DRAMA ANALYSIS

“INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC ELEMENTS OF DRAMA”

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Faculty of Humanities

Udayana University

2021
 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Elements of Drama

Drama is an imitation of an action. It is a branch of literature which is both literary art

and representational art. In literature, a drama is the portrayal of fictional or non-fictional events
through the performance of written dialog (either prose or poetry) which is intended to be
performed to audiences on the stage. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of
some action. Dramas are typically called plays, and their creators are known as “playwrights” or
“dramatists”. Drama is also a type of a play written for theater, television, radio, and film. Drama
is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can directly speak to their readers, or
the audience, and they can receive instant feedback of audiences. A few dramatists use their
characters as a vehicle to convey their thoughts and values. Since drama uses spoken words and
dialogues, thus language of characters plays a vital role, as it may give clues to their feelings,
personalities, backgrounds, and change in feelings. In dramas the characters live out a story
without any comments of the author, providing the audience a direct presentation of characters’
life experiences. In drama, there are two elements that influence and support the success of a
drama, whether it comes from inside called intrinsic element or from the outside called extrinsic
element.

1. Intrinsic element
Intrinsic element of drama is the element which develop the literary work from inside.
If we are looking from the literary understanding. Actually intrinsic elements of drama are
not quite different from prose. It has theme, plot, setting, character, characterization, and the
additional are blocking, dialogue, acting, message, and language choice.
1. 1 Theme
Theme is the main idea or lesson to be learned from the play. In some cases, the
theme of a play is obvious, other times it is quite subtle. The theme of a play refers to its
central idea. It can either be clearly stated through dialog or action, or can be inferred
after watching the entire performance. The theme is the philosophy that forms the base of
the story or a moral lesson that the characters learn. It is the message that the play gives
to the audience. For example, the theme of a play could be of how greed leads to one’s
destroy, or how the wrong use of authority ultimately results in the end of power. The
 theme of a play could be blind love or the strength of selfless love and sacrifice, or true
friendship.
For example, the play Romeo and Juliet, is based on a brutal and overpowering
romantic love between Romeo and Juliet that forces them to go to extremes, finally
leading them to self-destruction.

1. 2 Plot (Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

Plot refers to the action, the basic storyline of the play. The order of events
occurring in a play make its plot. Essentially, the plot is the story that the play narrates.
The various characters follow a pattern of interactions and movements through various
stages of the plot. These stages are initial disturbance or conflict (exposition), rising
action, climax, falling action and finally the resolution of the conflict. The entertainment
value of a play depends largely on the sequence of events in the story. The connection
between the events and the characters in them form an integral part of the plot. What the
characters do, how they interact, the course of their lives as narrated by the story, and
what happens to them in the end, constitutes the plot. A struggle between two individuals,
the relation between them, a struggle with self, a dilemma, or any form of conflict of one
character with himself or another character in the play, goes into forming the story’s plot.
The story unfolds through a series of incidents that share a cause-and-effect relationship.
Generally, a story begins with exposing the past or background of the main and other
characters, and the point of conflict, then proceeds to giving the central theme or climax.
Then come the consequences of the climax and the play ends with a conclusion.If the
incidents are arranged sequentially from the beginning to the end and one event leads to
the other, you will say that the play has a chronological, causal plot. If however they are
presented in a disjointed manner, you say that it has an episodic plot.
For instance, in Oedipus Rex. In the beginning, there is a plague in Thebes, the
people are suffering and lamenting. Oedipus seeks solution from the oracle of Delphi and
this leads to the major dramatic question (in this case, the identity of Oedipus) around
which the play revolves. The middle is made up of series of complications. In the play,
the complication starts with the arrival of Creon with the information that the killer they
seek is in their midst. Consequently, the blind seer is invited and there are more
 complications as he accuses Oedipus of being the murderer. There is a crisis with the
shepherd’s revelation of the true parentage of Oedipus and this leads to the climax. The
end is the last part of the play. In the play, the killer of Laius is discovered towards the
denouement. Oedipus realizes that he has fulfilled the Delphic oracle’s prophecy; he
actually killed his father and married his mother.

1. 3 Setting
The time and place where a story is set is one of its important parts. The era or
time in which the incidents in the play take place, influence the characters in their
appearance and personalities. The time setting may affect the central theme of the play,
the issues raised (if any), the conflict, and the interactions between the characters. The
historical and social context of the play is also defined by the time and place where it is
set. The time period and the location in which the story is set, affect the play’s staging.
Costumes and makeup, the backgrounds and the furniture used, the visuals (colors and
kind of lighting), and the sound are among the important elements of a play that dictate
how the story is translated into a stage performance. 
For example, The Merchant of Venice has been set in the 16th century
Venice. Romeo and Juliet has been set in the era between 1300 and 1600, perhaps the
Renaissance period which is the 14th and 15th centuries.Another example, the content of
one scene can be set in an incongruous location or a character might be wearing a
costume that contradicts the actions he is performing, thus resulting in dramatic irony.

1. 4 Character
A character is a person portrayed in a drama. Writers use characters to perform
the actions and speak dialogue, moving the drama along a plot line. There are three
functions of character in drama. First, is main character. It is the most important and the
centre of a story. Second, is secondary character. This character gives more influence to
the main character. Third, is supporting character. It function is to complete, serve, and
support the main character. There are two major types of character, the protagonist and
antagonist. The protagonist of a story in drama is its main character, who has the
sympathy and support of the audience. This character tends to be involved in or affected
 by most of the choices or conflicts that arise in the narrative. For example, Snow White is
the protagonist of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The antagonist is a character who
opposes the protagonist (or main character) of a story in drama, but the antagonist can
also be a group of characters, institution, or force against which the protagonist must
contend. A simple example of an antagonist is the Queen in Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs, who opposes and wants to destroy Snow White.

1. 5 Characterization
Characterization is the act of creating and describing characters in literature.
Characterization or characterization is the representation of persons (or other beings or
creatures) in narrative and dramatic works. The term character development is sometimes
used as a synonym. The method by which an author creates the appearance and
personality of imaginary persons and reveals their character. There are two types of
Characterization. First, is direct or explicit characterization. In this characterization the
author tells the character’s actual physical and mental traits, characteristics, abilities. For
example, “Jim was an honest, truthful man. He never cheated anybody in his entire life”.
Second, is indirect or implicit characterization. In this characterization the author shows
how character speaks, thinks, acts, or how other characters react to him. For example,
“Jim was very unlike any other businessman. He made sure that all his clients got what
they had paid for”.

1. 6 Blocking
Blocking is plotting the placement and movements of actors on stage. This of it as
a map for actors, showing where to go and when. Blocking also means putting the actors
on stage or set to make sure no angles are bad, and that no one is in front of anyone there
not supposed to be in front of . It is also to make sure that the actors can be in certain
places in certain situations. For example, “if I’m performing a role on stage, when I
rehearse, I learn that when I enter the stage, I go to this particular spot. When Actor A
says something, I move downstage. When s/he crosses left, I cross right. When that Actor
says a particular line, I sit down on a particular chair and stay there until the scene is
 over”. In conclusion, blocking is knowing where to go, and when, while performing on
stage.

1. 7 Dialogue
A dialogue is a literary technique in which writers employ two or more characters
to be engaged in conversation with one another. In literature, it is a conversational
passage, or a spoken or written exchange of conversation in a group, or between two
persons directed towards a particular subject. The use of dialogues can be seen back in
classical literature, especially in Plato’s Republic. Several other philosophers also used
this technique for rhetorical and argumentative purposes. Generally, it makes a literary
work enjoyable and lively. There are two types of dialogue in literature:
a. Inner Dialogue – In inner dialogue, the characters speak to themselves and reveal
their personalities.
b. Outer Dialogue – Outer dialogue is a simple conversation between two characters,
used in almost all types of fictional works.
Example: Crime and Punishment (By Fyodor Dostoevsky)
“But who did he tell it to? You and me?”
“And Porfiry.”
“What does it matter?”
“And, by the way, do you have any influence over them, his mother and sister? Tell them
to be more careful with him today …”
“They’ll get on all right!” Razumikhin answered reluctantly.
“Why is he so set against this Luzhin? A man with money and she doesn’t dislike him …
“But what business is it of yours?” Razumikhin cried with annoyance.
In this excerpt, notice the use of conflict, emotions, information, conflict, reversal, and
opposition flowing by. The ideas and information are expressed with perfect timing, but
here an important point is that the characters are not responding with a definite answer.
This is a beautiful piece of dialogue.
1. 8 Acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor
or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium
 that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of skills, including a
well-developed imagination, emotional facility, physical expressivity, vocal projection,
clarity of speech, and the ability to interpret drama. Acting also demands an ability to
employ dialects, accents, improvisation, observation and emulation, mime, and stage
combat. For example: Hilary Swank. She prepared for her role in Boys Don’t Cry,
playing a transgender male, by spending a full month living as boy. She lost a ton of
weight so her cheeks would look hollow, wrapped her chest, and stuffed socks in her
pants to feel more like a boy.

1. 9 Message
Message is a specific example of that theme in action. Message is exclusive. It
uses actors to convey this message. This brings us to the issue of mimesis or imitation.
Message is found in the specific story situations that illustrate the thematic principles.
The message is the story’s theme in action. Message applies only to the characters and
their specific situation. In Spider-Man, the theme is “with great power comes great
responsibility,” but the message is that responsibility means donning spandex and
fighting bad guys. In Spider-Man 2, the theme is that we all have the potential to be
heroic, but the message is that, in order to be heroic, “you have to be steady and give up
the thing you want the most.”

1.10 Language in drama

Language has a key position in drama as it is, like in real life, the most important
means of communication on stage. It has to be regarded as the one basic feature of drama
that is related to both the dramatic characters and the action. The word choices made by
the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language. The dialogues are the
lines that the characters speak and often represent their feelings and emotions. Language
and dialogues delivered by the characters move the plot and action along, provides
exposition, and defines the distinct characters. Each playwright can create their own
specific style in relationship to language choices they use in establishing character and
dialogue. Monologues and soliloquies help are speeches that incorporate information
difficult to be extracted through dialogues.
 There are several types of language in drama, they are:

a. Pun: A pun is a play on words. It could be when words are used to have a double
meaning. Usually puns are funny, but sometimes they are not.
Example: “Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes. With nimble soles; I have a
soul of lead. So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.” –Romeo
b. Monologue: A monologue is a speech given by one character to the other characters
who are on stage.
Example: Romeo is saying it to Juliet and she doesn’t even know he’s there. How
romantic!
c. Soliloquy: A Soliloquy is similar to a monologue but it is spoken when only one
character is on stage. Soliloquies are usually about the inner most feelings of the
speaker.
Example: “To be, or not to be”, a soliloquy from Hamlet.
d. Aside: An aside is when a character stops the dialogue with other characters and
looks directly at the audience. The character tells the audience thoughts or
information that the other characters on stage don’t know. Hearing an aside from a
character is like hearing a secret that no other characters know. Asides are different
from monologues and soliloquies because they are very brief.
Example: Romeo speaks an aside in "Romeo and Juliet" when he is standing beneath
the balcony where Juliet is speaking, unaware that anyone hears her. Juliet is
professing her love for Romeo, and he says "Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at
this?"

2 Extrinsic elements of drama

Extrinsic elements are the things that cannot be found inside the story in the drama.
Those are the facts and the information that support and surround the story. The extrinsic
elements are the building blocks of literature from outside. That is, not related to the work of
literature itself, but dealing with things that are outside of literature itself.It could tell about
the author; inspiration, life experiences, etc., it could also tell about the world situation; past,
present or may be the future, and many other supporting facts.

2.1 Author’s life

The part of author’s life also influences the settings and plot of the story. The
author’s situation or what the author was experiencing now also affect the story making.
He/she would be able to describe the storyline with details, because they had experienced
this kind of situation. When making a literary work, the author could reflect back to his/her
life. For example, Shakespeare was clearly influenced by the events of his time, and this is
apparent especially in Romeo and Juliet. To dismiss this play as a mere fable is to overlook
some very important religious and political changes of the time which are evidently woven
into the storyline of the play.

2.2 Historical background

Historical background might be described by the flow of the story. It could be shown
by a timeline too. The historical background can be the history or the past of the setting the
story was. It could also show the development or improvement of a certain thing or
condition. Describing the historical background might also be used to send messages to
make readers realize the mistake and take action to fix the bad record.
For example, Romeo and Juliet is one of the early plays of Shakespeare. It was probably
written in 1594 or 1595, for it is similar in language to A Midsummer's Night Dream and
Richard II. Some scholars, however, date the drama to 1591, for there is a reference made by
the nurse in the play to an earthquake that happened eleven years earlier. The actual
earthquake in Italy occurred in 1580. The majority of scholars today place the play after
1594 Shakespeare drew most of his plots from European stories that had been translated into
English. Romeo and Juliet was probably based on an Italian romance.

2.3 Social background

The story in a drama depends on the social background of the author. He/she would
probably write something that connects to the community around them. It could also be the
social problems that was happening on the world or the social organization inside a certain
country. Social background can also be used to describe a person’s biography and how it
affects their life nowadays. Drama is a kind of literary work. Authors of literary work are
members of the society, thus sociology and literature are related and share the same
problems. Literature is a reflection of society, and through literature the authors attempt to
recreate the social worlds that happen or happened in a society.
For instance, the drama titled 1917 is the story about world war I. From this, we can
see that social background or the condition in social life at that time is about war. Then it is
included in the story of a drama which told us about war. Thus, the social background in
which come from the real life, can become the extrinsic elements in some drama.
2.4 Cultural background
The cultural background of the authors may, consciously or not, incorporate
elements of culture: custom, belief, language, technology, tradition, belief, social
organization, art and so forth into literature and its writing processes.The cultural
background inside the story may also connects to the author’s life. As for example, the
author’s cultures may be mixed into the story. It might display the life or historical event in
the country or area that the author lived by. The cultural background may also refer to the
setting and plot of the story. It depends on where the story takes scene.
For instance, the drama tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The author of this great literary
work was William Shakespeare. Written in 1594 – 1596. The culture at that time of course
different with today’s culture. Then, we can see those culture included in the drama, like in
the real life of culture at that time. The language that used at that time, has a very significant
differences. Take the example of words “Thee” which means “You”. But, in today’s English,
people so rarely using this word, except in poetry. Another example, in that story shows the
setting in the church. Which related with the cultural background of belief at that time.

Conclusion
In literary work of drama there are two elements, those are intrinsic element and
extrinsic element. Intrinsic elements are the elements which develop the literary work from
inside. If we are looking from the literary understanding. Actually intrinsic elements of
drama are not quite different from prose. It has theme, plot, setting, character,
characterization, and the additional are blocking, dialogue, acting, message, and language
choice. And for the extrinsic elements are the elements that are outside of literature, but it
does not directly affect the structure or organism system literature. There are author’s life,
historical background, social background, and cultural background. More specifically, it can
be said that the role of extrinsic element that affects the buildings element of a story in
drama. Therefore, the Extrinsic Elements literature should be regarded as something
important.