Essay Quiz


1			Characters are important in how they relate to the other characters in the play. Are they antagonists whose individual qualities emerge as a result of their conflict? Are they foils or counterparts whose characteristics emphasize the personality of the other? In this clip from A Critical Guide: Macbeth, the critics explain how the characters of Macbeth and Banquo operate as foils for one another, suggesting that Banquo represents the type of man Macbeth could have become. They also suggest they serve as protagonist and antagonist as well. How do these two relationships enrich our understanding of Macbeth and his tragic struggle? What aspects of Banquo has Macbeth suppressed in himself? How does Banquo's presence make those qualities more prominent? How does this cause conflict between the characters? In the second clip, from Playwright's Workshop: Works in Progress, playwrights, directors, and actors give their thoughts on the nature of dramatic structure. While there are traditional structures that can be highly effective, those structures can also be "turned on their head" in order to achieve certain effects. In Chapter 2, Wilson and Goldfarb discuss the differences between Aeschylus' and Euripides' telling of the story of Electra, and Sophocles' recounting of the same tale. They discuss how the focus and emphasis is changed according to the order the events occur. Choose a play, movie, or novel and discuss how the focus and emphasis of the story would be affected by changing the order of events.

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