Study Guide and 10 Questions on Theatre and Dramatic Literature | THEATRE 120, Study notes of Theatre

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THEATRE AND DRAMA 120

Midterm Exam Study Guide Midterm Exam: Wednesday, October 27, 12:05-12: Exam sites: Niccole, Leigh, and Jeff’s sections — 3650 Humanities (our regular classroom); please check in with your TA before taking a seat Jessica and Mary’s sections —180 Science; please check in with your TA before taking a seat Tim and Sandy’s sections —1131 Humanities ; please check in with your TA before taking a seat McBurney students please see me immediately after class if you have NOT already made arrangements for alternative testing. If you require alternative testing, give me a copy of your visa – you’ll then be eligible to take the exam in an alternate location: 6181 Vilas , starting at 11:30 for those who require extra time. Please know your correct section number. Please bring a sharpened #2 pencil.

1. For each of the plays we’ve read, you should be able to: A. Describe the plot and its relationship to the “story” told by the play. B. Briefly describe the structure of the play (Linear plot? Simple or complex (see Aristotle)? Flashbacks? Logically arranged incidents? Choral odes and episodes?) C. Describe the language of the play. (Verse? Prose? Colloquial speech? Other distinguishing features?) D. Identify the setting of the play as described by the playwright. What elements (if any) have metaphoric meaning in the play? E. Identify significant props/costume elements in the play and explain their relationship to plot and character. F. Describe the actions of the central characters. What factors influence those actions? G. Identify major ideas in the play and explain how they are developed in the text. H. Identify the author and approximate date of first performance (within a decade or so).
2. I assume factual knowledge of the plays and of the supplementary reading, including the Guide to Basic Elements of Theatrical Production. Pay particular attention to details of staging and character history or appearance as indicated in the dialogue and stage directions.
3. Drawing on your lecture notes, you should be able to describe the basic configuration of a typical ancient Greek theatre, an Elizabethan outdoor theatre such as the Globe, and a modern stage such as the Mitchell Theatre. Locate the audience, the performance space, and the scenic space and describe the relationship between audience and performance. What were the technical capabilities of each theatre? What were the conventions of performance for the Greeks vs. Elizabethans vs. modern American theatres?
4. You should be able to identify the following characters in terms of their significance to the action of the play: Fires in the Mirror : Anonymous Lubavitcher Woman, Aaron M. Bernstein, Reverend Al Sharpton, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Minister Conrad Mohammed, Anonymous Young Man #1, Angela Davis, Norman Rosenbaum, Roslyn Malamud, Carmel Cato, George C. Wolfe (Know the content of their monologues. It will be helpful to know the titles, as well.) Death of a Salesman : Willy, Linda, Biff, Happy, Bernard, Uncle Ben, Charley Medea: Chorus, Nurse, Medea, Creon, Aegeus, Jason, Messenger Othello: Othello, Desdemona, Iago, Cassio, Brabantio, Roderigo, Emilia, Bianca, Montano
5. You should know the following terms: plot, exposition, action, myth, Dionysus, City Dionysia, satyr play, agon , chorus, theatron, orchestra, skene , parados, episodes, exodos, antagonist, protagonist , ekkyklema , mechane , deus ex machina , hubris , hamartia , catharsis , Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, Aristotle’s six elements, fourth-wall staging, mimesis , genre, ode , homosociality, bear-baiting, groundlings, Bankside, masque
6. You may be asked to associate quotations from the plays with characters in the plays. You won’t be expected to recognize language, but you will be expected to associate the ideas and attitudes expressed in the quote with a specific character.

7. I assume a factual knowledge of all lectures, guest lectures, and videos shown in class. Fires in the Mirror is on reserve at the College Library; Death of a Salesman, Othello, and O are available at area rental stores. The Medea clips are not available unless your absence was due to unusual circumstances. Please check with your TA.