Script Analysis

Instructions: No essay format is required for this analysis. Evaluate each item
using headings and subheadings. Remember to cite as needed using an MLA
format. Remember the goal is to make formal decisions but to stay somewhat
loose and not commit to rationalizations too soon.
I. Exposition
a. Time
b. Place
c. Mood and Atmosphere
d. Preliminary Situation or Primary Event
e. Seeds
II. Plot (Following the preliminary situation)
a. Initial Incident
b. Rising Action (List complications and major events.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
c. Climax
d. Falling Action (List major events)
1.
2.
3.
e. Resolution (final outcomes for all major characters)
f. What type of plot is it?
III. Characters
a. Protagonist (describe in four sentences)
b. Antagonist (describe in four sentences)
c. Supporting (describe in two-four sentences)
d. Minor (describe in a few words)
IV. Theme (Stated in one sentence)
V. Personal Reaction (A paragraph which honestly states your opinion
regarding the play. Required: examples from the play to back up your
opinions.)
VI. Research
What ideas (themes) of the play are important? What are the authors
perspectives on these issues? What are yours? (Thematic take)
What central dramatic question will you use to focus the action of your
version of this play? In other words, what question do you want your
audience to be wondering about?
What major obstacles challenge the resolution of your dramatic question?

What are the plays genre and style?

Whats the plays spine?
What are the characters super objectives, in connection to that spine?
List all key events in the play. What happens? (This happens, then this, then
this ... )
Why does the play have its particular title?
Whats the historical relevance of the play?
What do you notice about the language of the play? Examine it in detail.
What is the overall rhythm of the play? (e.g.: the rhythm of an action movie
might be fast and furious, or a thriller might be slow with unrelenting
tension)
Do you imagine or hear any music?
What other sounds or effects do you imagine or hear?
What are the opportunities for spectacle in this play? (e.g. dances, parades,
fights, dreams, funerals, etc.)
Regarding the world of the play, describe the culture, era, and world-views
of original setting and times. How do you envision the world of the play?
Use adjectives, phrases and metaphors to describe what you see in your
imagination. Use all your senses to create the world in your mind - as well as
sight, sound, touch (texture) - even smell & taste.
For each main character in the play, write a list of several adjectives.
o For each character in the play, consider the following textual
references:
o What do other characters say about this character?
o What do characters say about her/himself?
o What do characters in this play do/dont do?