The World is an Apple

Written by Alberto S. Florentino

By the time of completion of this
lesson, you should be able to:

1.identify the elements of drama;

2.explain the message of the
drama, The World is an Apple; and
3.analyze a Filipino-written drama.
What is a Drama?

The term drama came from the

Greek word dran which means to
do or to act.
Dramais a composition in prose or
poetry that presents a story told
entirely in dialogue and action.
What is a Drama?

It is written with the intention of its

eventual performance before an
audience.
Drama has a two-fold nature: that
ofliteratureandtheater.
 History of Drama

Greek drama began as a religious worship for the Greek

godDionysus.
He is the Greek god of wine, revelry, and physical pleasure.
He is handsome and vigorous-filled with the joy of life.
He is the Father of the Greek Theater.
When grapes were harvested, the Greeks would hold drama
festivals to celebrate in his honor calledFeast of
Dionysus.
This went on every year and all people from all walks of life
went to see dramatic performances of great Greek
dramatists and playwrights.
 What are the types of Drama?

These are types of drama according to the

form of genre.
Tragedy
Comedy
Melodrama
Farce
Social play
 Tragedy
is a dramatic presentation where the series of heroic
overtures of the protagonist involve misery, defeat or even
death of the hero.
These series of unfortunate events are normally brought
about by the hero himself due to his weakness in character.
This is calledhubris,a Greek word known astragic
flawof the protagonists character.
In the drama,The World is an Apple, the protagonist Marios
flaw was not thinking twice before filching the red, big,
delicious apple which rolled down from the crate.
This single misstep led to series of unfortunate events
causing more misery and trouble not only for him but for his
entire family.
Comedy

is a dramatic presentation where the opposite

of a tragedys outcome is presented.
The protagonists victoriously overcome the
odds and the drama ends happily unlike
tragedys.
 Melodrama
is also known as tragicomedy where
elements of tragedy and comedy are
combined.
Like tragedy, it has all the workings of a
protagonist involved in a monumental
fight.
However, it presents a protagonist who
emerges victoriously in the end amidst all
trials and struggles similar to a comedy.
Farce

is an exaggerated comedy which

primary aim is to evoke laughter
and presentation of lesson in life as
secondary.
Social play

involves depiction of social ills and

problems commonly seen in the
larger community which aims to
spread awareness among the entire
population.
ELEMENTS OF DRAMA
 What are the elements of Drama?
Setting
Characters
Mood
Conflict
Theme
Moral
Setting
identifies the time and place in
which the events occur. It consists
of the historical period, the
moment, day and season when the
incidents take place.
In your drama analysis, you need to consider the
following:

Setting oftimeis the particular

time of the day, day of the week,
month of the year and so on,
depending on what is revealed in
the drama or play. In our drama
analysis piece, The World is an
Apple, the setting of time is one
sunny Saturday afternoon.
 Setting ofplaceis the particular
location within an area where the
drama was performed, a particular
locality, or a particular venue
depending on your chosen drama
for drama analysis.
 Weather conditionis the
atmospheric outlook of the time and
place where the drama took place.
Sometimes, it adds a particular
element to the events which transpire
as the drama unfolds. However, in the
drama The World is an Apple, the
weather is sunny and particularly fine.
 Socialconditionis the socio-
economic situation the characters
are presented. The couple Mario
and Gloria are embroiled in a very
tragic situation as suggested by
their shanty dwelling, fabricated
and installed behind the walls of
Intramuros.
Characters
are the most important elements of
a drama. They are the actors who
perform and deliver the lines which
make the drama engagingly unfold.
There are type of characters which
we typically encounter in a drama
presentation.
Types of Characters
Protagonistis the primary character typically identified as
the hero. In our drama analysis, the protagonists are Mario
and Gloria.
Antagonistis the character who opposes the protagonist.
In our drama springboard, the antagonists are Pablo and the
company where Mario previously
Foilis a character who is exactly the opposite of another
character whether primary or secondary character. Mario
and Gloria are foils to each other.
Dynamic characterevolves as the drama unfolds like
Mario.
Static characterdoes not show any change at all like
Mood
refers to atmosphere exuded in the
drama.
This is the prevailing emotion and
outlook felt by the characters in the
entire drama.
The observable mood in the drama The
World is an Apple would be serious and
sad as revealed in the setting and the
lines delivered by the character
themselves.
Conflict
refers to the struggle or opposing
forces involving the characters in
the drama.
There types of conflicts evident in
the drama, The World is an Apple.
They are:
Man vs. Maninvolves a conflict between two or more
characters. In our drama analysis, we have Mario and
Gloria as well as Gloria and Pablo.
Man vs. Societyinvolves a conflict between a character
and the society as shown with Mario against the
warehouse company which kicked him out of work
because he stole an apple.
 Man vs. Himselfis presented when a
character is grossly involved with a dilemma of
which he is normally forced to act against his
will. Mario fights the urge to return to his bad
ways of the past but is contemplating of
uplifting his family situation.
Man vs. Godis normally presented as a
conflict where a character is fighting against
the superior being (God or Fate) which
normally the character is powerless and
completely overwhelmed.
 Theme
refers to what the drama is all about.
This element is considered as the unifying element that
defines the dramatized idea of the play.
The theme is normally presented as a declarative
sentence containing the entire gist of the drama.
Normally, the theme is dependent on how the audience
perceived and appreciate the entire drama.
In our drama analysis of the play The World is an Apple,
the theme may include:A mans folly brings misery to
his family.
Moral
is the lesson the drama wants to convey.
It is the gem of thought which one may
use as a guide. Unlike the theme, the
moral is presented as an obligatory
(imperative) sentence such as:A man
ought to think twice before doing
something.This moral may be elicited
from our drama analysis of the piece,
The World is an Apple.