plot basics by Paul Tomlinson

Author:Paul Tomlinson [Tomlinson, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Paul Tomlinson
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

14. The Major Dramatic Question

Once the hero has accepted the challenge and chosen a goal, we have effectively asked the major dramatic question of the story: Will the hero succeed? This is sometimes referred to as the overall story objective. We ask this question in Act I, and it is not answered until the climax of the story in Act III. A problem or an opportunity is presented at the beginning of the story, and the outcome is not revealed until the end. Part of the reason a reader keeps turning the pages is to find out the answer to this question. It is called the major dramatic question because there will be dozens of lesser dramatic questions throughout the story. Every scene will have at least one character who is trying to achieve a ‘scene objective.’ Other dramatic questions include things like: Has the hero chosen the correct goal to bring about the desired outcome? Will he overcome his flaw, or will his behaviour cause him to fail in his quest to achieve the goal?

The question is usually implied rather than stated directly. It provides the backbone of the story, and everything that follows – every action and line of dialogue – should be directly related to it, bringing us closer to knowing the final answer. In Hamlet the major dramatic question is: Will Hamlet convince himself of his uncle’s guilt and avenge his father’s murder?

As we know, the answer to the major dramatic question is not in much doubt: of course the hero will win. But it is how he wins, what obstacles he has to overcome along the way, and what he ultimately gains, that keep the reader’s interest. The major dramatic question is hinted at throughout Act I but is usually ‘asked’ – implicitly rather than directly – at the end of the act, when the hero finally accepts the challenge and chooses his first goal.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.