Structure Of A Theatrical Play

A theater

The constitution of theatrical plays dates back to Aristotle's Poetics, written in the 4th Century BC. The Greeks created the three-act dramatic constitution. This constitution has been modified over the dotage, on the other hand it remains as the basic constitution of most dramatic works.

The First Act

The headmost fact of a play contains exposition and the inciting concern. In the ahead half of the head event, the protagonist and other larger characters should be introduced.

The Second Act

Obstacles are introduced in the moment reality; they prevent the protagonist from resolving the dramatic clash or achieving a dramatic goal. As the play reaches the climax, the protagonist gets farther from the dramatic goal, and the possibility of resolution seems less possible as the action progresses.

Conventional structure in modern drama

Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" is a good example of the three-act structure. The play is composed of two acts and a requiem, and it follows the formula of exposition/inciting incident, climax and resolution.

Less conventional uses of the three act formula

Many modern works of drama are divided into three acts, but they nonetheless retain the dramatic arc of a three act play. A good example is Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," which was written as eleven scenes, but it contains a distinct inciting incident, climax and resolution.

The Third Act

The resolution--or fall out from the dramatic climax--occurs in the third act. This may involve a returning to equilibrium in the situation of the play. It may involve a revelation or final plot point.