Key Skills in English 56
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chair. Stage directions helped me to visualise the scene and be amused by it. Comedy is also created in the use of dialogue. Wally asks Lucy if she wants him to bleed ‘Over The Times or the Guardian’, while John keeps up a running commentary on Lucy’s incompetence – ‘She’s locked the first-aid box, and she’s lost the key!’ The one line spoken by Lesley at the end of the passage is very funny as she apologises for smashing open the box – ‘Sorry. I thought probably we’d better not wait for the key. Sorry’. I enjoyed the dialogue immensely and was very entertained by it. All of the characters are entertaining in different ways. Lucy in her hysterical reaction and bubbling resentment, Wally in his dramatic gestures, John in his role as judge of Lucy’s efficiency and his biting sarcasm. The other characters, Nora and Geoffrey, are more calm and balanced in their response. Nora keeps saying ‘Oh dear’, while Geoffrey appeals for calm – ‘Now let’s all keep calm’ and advises Lucy to ‘Take a deep breath’. This contrast between the characters serves to highlight the exaggeration of the pretended conflict in the situation. The silent, practical Lesley provides a very comic moment when, after a dramatic pause, he suddenly takes things into his own hands and, with apologies, smashes the box open. In my opinion, the writer creates entertainment by blending characters, situation and dialogue in a very clever and amusing way.
4. Atmosphere, Tension and Conflict
Atmosphere or mood is the feeling or tone created in a scene. It is oſten created through a combination of several dramatic and stagecraſt elements working together. For example, mood can be created through sound, lighting, movement, setting, rhythm, contrast, tension and conflict.
Tension refers to the development of suspense in a performance. As the audience anticipates certain outcomes in the plot, the tension builds. An obvious example of rising tension is in a mystery or detective story. Te development of tension usually parallels the advancement of the plot, leading to a crisis or climax. Te extract from Riders to the Sea has a tense atmosphere due to the circumstances of a family death. As the play progresses, tension builds up, reaches a climax and finally reaches a resolution.
Conflict differs slightly from tension in that it is oſten related to characters who clash with one another rather than to circumstances alone. It can be verbal (using words), physical or psychological. Tis next extract is an example of a scene where conflict has arisen between two characters.
Te following extract (slightly shortened) is taken from the play Te Granny Project by Anne Fine.
Background information
Ivan, a teenage boy, has written a project for school which he has named ‘Te Granny Project’. In it, he describes very intimate details of his family life, particularly those concerning his grandmother, who is about to be sent into an old folks’ home. His father, Henry, has just found and read ‘Te Granny Project’.
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Unit 1: Drama
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