Drama Textual Analysis

This post is for Higher and Intermediate pupils who are doing a drama text for their Textual Analysis NAB.

What you will be asked about -

1. Word choice – are the words used formal or informal? What does the word choice say about a character?
2. Imagery – simile, metaphor, personification. When a character uses an image when they talk, what does it say about them?
3. Sentence structure – rhetorical questions, long and short sentences, parenthesis, list, repetition, climax, antithesis
4. Tone – ironic, sarcastic, upbeat, downbeat, serious, light, nostalgic, humorous, pompous
5. Sound effects – alliteration and onomatopoeia
6. Register – high register (formal) or low register (informal). This example uses both: ‘My lords ladies and gentlemen … how y’doing?’
7. Stage directions – what do the actors do on stage? Are they standing, moving around … trying to stab each other!?
8. Props and costumes – what are the actors holding and wearing?
9. Setting – where does the scene take place? In a house? In a castle? Outer space?
10. Relationships – when two characters talk, one is always more important than the other. Which one is in charge?
11. Characterisation – how does a character talk? How do they behave on stage?

Analysing a line of dialogue in a play or script

This line is from the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’, a comedy thriller about gangsters in Los Angeles:

Normally both of you would be dead as fried chicken. But you happened to pull this while I'm in a transitional period.

It is said by Jules the hitman as he points a gun at Ringo the armed robber, and Ringo’s girlfriend. I took out some of the sweary words.

What can we say about this line?

Word choice –

• The scriptwriter has used colloquial language – ‘pull this’. This shows Jules is a tough character who speaks plainly. He is also happy to show Ringo that he is in charge of the situation – he uses a low register to show Ringo is of less importance than himself.
• This is contrasted with a high register – ‘transitional period’. This is a clever-sounding phrase which you wouldn’t expect Jules to say. It shows that he is thinking about himself and his life. This helps capture the audience’s attention and make Jules a complex character rather than just a thug.

Imagery – the simile ‘dead as fried chicken’ says a lot about Jules. For textual analysis, write down more than one thing if you can.
• Jules is a menacing character – fried chicken has been cooked as well as killed; this suggests Ringo will die in a gruesome way
• Jules is a common person – fried chicken is cheap food which you can buy anywhere.
• Jules holds life very cheaply – killing Ringo would be like eating chicken to him.

Stage directions, props, costumes and setting

Because this is a drama, we can say more about this scene in general. You may get questions about this when you do drama textual analysis -

Stage directions – Jules is pointing a gun at Ringo and they are sitting in a café. They might both be sitting totally still, or Ringo might be slowly backing away from Jules. It depends what the director and the actors decide, in order to make this scene exciting and full of tension.

Props and costumes – Jules is holding a gun, which will attract the attention of the audience and make them wonder what is going to happen. In this scene, Ringo is wearing ordinary casual wear and Jules is wearing shorts and a t-shirt, which might make the whole scene ironic, as he isn’t dressed for doing anything criminal.