How to Write a Commentary for a Play

Writing a commentary for a play is not as easy as it sounds. Unlike a theater review, which rates a play for a broad audience, a commentary is an academic analysis of a play's meaning. A play commentary does not focus on such things as performance and costume, but has to concern itself with dialogue, stage direction and other formal aspects that help the play produce meaning. Whether for high school, college or university, take the time to research and think carefully about what and how the play means.

Instructions

    • 1

      Outline what the theme of the play is, or what it is trying to say. Read the play over to determine its message. A play will sometimes have more than one theme, or an ambiguous theme, so take into account the multiple ways that a play can deliver a message. "King Lear," for instance, can be said to be about both the hubris of a father and the dangers of individualism. Write a paragraph or two that summarizes what message or messages the play is trying to deliver and how successful it is in doing so.

    • 2

      Study and research how conventional the play and its structure are. Aristotle said that a play should have a beginning, a middle and an end, so look to see if the play is told in a straightforward linear way, or if it jumps around in time. Determine whether all of its action takes place in "reality," or if characters act out dream sequences or fantasies. Write a paragraph or two detailing these elements and others such as dialogue, resolution and the names of characters.

    • 3

      Analyze the play's paratextual elements, or elements that occur separately from the action as depicted in the script. Read the stage directions carefully and determine how they assist in producing meaning. See if they are there only to give guidelines to actors, or if they are somehow independent of the script itself. George Bernard Shaw, for example, wrote elaborate stage directions that commented on society. Write a paragraph or two summarizing your findings about other such elements as setting and descriptions of characters' appearances.

    • 4

      Analyze how the play comments on other plays that preceded it. Look carefully for references to other plays or texts throughout literature. Shakespeare looms large over the dramatic tradition, so read for references to Shakespeare's characters, situations, plots and themes. Write a paragraph or two detailing the ways in which the play draws on the resources of past literature to make its meaning.

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