Dialogue and Characterization in Drama

Powerful dialogue can reveal:

• A character's thoughts and feelings through his or her tone of voice and the way the words are spoken.

• How a character interacts with others based on his or her responses and how much or how often he or she speaks.

• What a character's motives or desires are based on what he or she says or avoids saying and it can reveal a character's background through his or her accent, use of slang, or mention of places or experiences.

• All of the answers listed.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What purpose can dialogue serve?

• It can describe secrets to the reader through detailed descriptions.

• It can communicate the moral of the story

• It can reveal how characters interact through lengthy conversations involving mundane moments in every day life situations.

• IT can reveal characters' personality traits, feelings, thoughts, and/or motives

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Why is it important for a writer to choose words and lines carefully for his/her characters to say in a conversation?

• A few lines of dialogue are often much more effective than a long conversation back and forth because what they say should enhance their connections, show the characters' thoughts/feelings, create action, and/or provide necessary information to move the plot forward.

• It can establish a strong sense of voice for each character.

• A long conversation back and forth is much more effective than a brief conversation because what they say should enhance their connections and create action, so they need time to say what they're really feeling and thinking.

• A long conversation back and forth can develop the characters and show the readers that they say what they're thinking.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Give an example of how dialogue can move a story forward:

• It can enhance connections between minor characters so that the reader wants to keep reading.

• It can provide the reader with unnecessary information.

• It can create questions in the reader's mind.

• It can show how a person's words can motivate another person to take action.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What important questions should we ask ourselves when analyzing dialogue?

• Is it necessary to the plot, as opposed to casual conversations in everyday life that don't really get us anywhere? AND What purpose does it serve?

• What purpose does it serve?

• Is it necessary to the plot? What purpose does it serve? Is a particular dialect used? Are the characters' voices unique and easy to distinguish?

• Is it necessary to the plot? What purpose does it serve? Have words been chosen carefully so that the dialogue is written in a clear and concise manner? Are the characters' voices unique and easy to distinguish so that we immediately know who is speaking?

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Why is it important for a writer to choose word and lines carefully for his/her characters to say in a conversation?

• A long conversation back and forth can develop the characters and show the readers that they say what they're thinking.

• A long conversation back and forth is much more effective than a brief conversation because what they say should enhance their connections and create action, so they need time to say what they're really feeling and thinking.

• It can establish a strong sense of voice for each character.

• A few lines of dialogue are often much more effective than a long conversation back and forth because what they say should enhance their connections, show the characters' thoughts/feelings, create action, and/or provide necessary information to move the plot forward.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Everything that the characters say and do must move the plot forward so that:

• A situation escalates, intensifying thoughts and feelings tension or suspense builds until a change takes place or something is revealed.

• A situation escalates internal conflicts arise throughout the novel, short story or play.

• A situation escalates, intensifying thoughts and feelings

• A situation escalates, intensifying thoughts and feelings a mystery builds until everything is revealed

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4