CHARACTER in drama

Fictitious creations and thus the dramatist and the novelist may both be judged with regard to their ability in the art of characterization.  As we have noted in the introduction , there is no narration or description in a drama. Instead, all characterization must be presented trough dialogue. Character speak about each other and character speak about themselves – particularly of course about their central emotions. Such as love and hate. The combination of speeches and actions throughout a play, the small aside and jokes. The short angry speeches, the lengthy diatribes. All add up to produce in our minds an understanding of the characters in a drama as people who might rally exist.  

Character in action

            We learn about the characters in a play by closely observing their actions. There are countless questions which can be asked about the character in action. By answering as many of them as possible we attempt to analyze the character does terms of their action.

Motivation

            The fact remains that the larger actions when characters complete in the course of a play have identified motives behind them and thus we as critics have every right and duty to analyze character motivation

Hope for reward a

            A major character desires to bring happiness and prosperity to himself or to those whom he loves all of his actions are planned to hasten the advent of prosperity.

Love

            Basically a particular extension of hope for reward. A character is motivated to certain action because of the love which he has. The love which he wants. Or the love which someone has for him.

Fear of failure

            An inversion of the hope for reward. A character works in a certain fashion because he fears that he will be crushed if he does not.

Religious felling

            Occasionally but not frequently, we discover a character who is motivated by religious faith.

Revenge

            Although there are certain plays which we speak of as “revenge tragedies” there are many plays in which we both major and minor characters motivated by desire to avenge the death of a loved friend or relative.

Greed

            This is a particular kind of motivation in the category of “hope for reward” which becomes outstanding motive in its own right in many plays.

Jealousy

            A final corollary kind of motive, in this case connecting to both love and fear of failure. Jealousy operates as one of the most particular and strongest motives in all drama.

The rounded personality

            While we can usually speak of a character’s central motive for doing what he does in the course of the play. We can rarely assume that he has one and only one motive.

Caricature

            In fiction we speak of a “caricature” when a character’s outstanding trait becomes so outstanding that it becomes unbelievable. in drama we generally refer to this kind of character as a type. In general we find types among minor characters but almost never among major. There is no reason for fully developing a character who has but a small role within a play, just as it would be disastrous and inartistic not to develop quite extensively a major character.