What are the Elements of Drama?
By: Jenney Cheever Essential elements of drama are present in any play that you see. Aristotle was the first to write about these essential elements, more than two thousand years ago. While ideas have changed slightly over the years, we still discuss Aristotle’s list when talking about what makes the best drama. Aristotle’s Six Elements of Drama Aristotle considered these six things to be essential to good drama. • Plot: This is what happens in the play. Plot refers to the action; the basic storyline of the play. • Theme: While plot refers to the action of the play, theme refers to the meaning of the play. Theme is the main idea or lesson to be learned from the play. In some cases, the theme of a play is obvious; other times it is quite subtle. • Characters: Characters are the people (sometimes animals or ideas) portrayed by the actors in the play. It is the characters who move the action, or plot, of the play forward. • Dialogue: This refers to the words written by the playwright and
