Drama Study Guide

In order to better understand the plays and to help you study for the exam, I suggest that you do the following for each play.

1. Summarize the play. Act by act, describe what occurs.
2. Make a list of the main characters.
3. Conduct a brief analysis of each character, beginning with your impression of the character – e.g., Hamlet seems sometimes a good guy, sometimes bad – and supporting your impression with evidence from the play. Though you could merely describe a character's actions and words, it would be better to find specific passages that clearly demonstrate what you claim the character to be.
4. Identify the climax of the play, and be sure to describe what happens, taking into account the events and characters’ motives that lead to the climax.
5. Try to state the theme of the play briefly. Remember, a theme can be understood as an insight the play offers into human nature.