Prepare: Prior to beginning your initial post, read Chapters 10 and 11 in your course textbook, paying special attention to information on drama’s Greek history, the Shakespearean dramatic tradition, and the components of tragedy in both Greek and Shakespearean drama.

Reflect: In addition to staged productions, some of drama’s contemporary forms include television and film. Think of a film or television episode you know well and that you could analyze using the terms you learned in the textbook. Remember that the film or episode may not necessarily come from our current genre of “drama,” as the literary term drama refers to all contemporary forms of scripted theatrical production. Do NOT choose a work that would be called a ‘comedy,’ as you will be exploring comedy in your Comedy and Conflict discussion this week. It might help you to think of a plot that has a protagonist similar to those you have read about in your textbook

Part 1—Answer the following questions and directives about the film or episode you chose:

• Name the episode or film. For the benefit of your classmates who might not be familiar with it, summarize the plot in two to four sentences only.
• What is a central type of conflict in the work? You can refer to the Types of Conflicts Found in Literature (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. document to remind yourself of the types of conflict.
• How does its plot and conflict align with plot structures and types of conflict found in Greek and/or Shakespearean tragedy?
• How does it depart from the Greek or Shakespearean forms of tragedy?
• Support your responses with textual details and analytical commentary. Be sure to include specific quotations and/or paraphrases from the work. For help on writing paraphrases and quotations, review the Ashford University Writing Center’s tutorial Integrating Research (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and the Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. web page

Part 2—Consider how applying your knowledge of literary tradition and elements caused you to look at this contemporary dramatic work in a new way. Respond to the following questions:

• After completing Part 1 of this discussion, did you notice anything new about the dramatic work you selected? If so, what did you notice?
• Did your experience completing Part 1 deepen your appreciation of the work’s complexity? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Though drama has changed over time, many of its fundamental elements remain the same. What might this illustrate about the human condition?

Your writing for Parts One and Two should be a combined total of at least 200 words.

Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Sharon E. Cooper’s Mistaken Identity: A Ten Minute Play from Chapter 12 of Journey Into Literature.

Reflect: In the Influence of Tragedy in Contemporary Drama discussion this week, you examined how a contemporary dramatic work might simultaneously adhere to and depart from the dramatic tradition, specifically Greek and Shakespearean tragedy. In this discussion activity, you will focus on comedy. Reflect on Mistaken Identity: A Ten Minute Play. This is a modern comedy that centers on the quest for love and understanding. Remind yourself the elements of drama and conflict you explored in the Influence of Tragedy in Contemporary Drama discussion.

Write: The initial post must be 200 to 300 words in length and posted by Day 3. In your initial post:

• Identify a conflict that you see present in Mistaken Identity: A Ten Minute Play. You can refer to the Types of Conflicts Found in Literature (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. document to remind yourself of the types of conflict.
• What literary techniques draw out this conflict? You might consider such things as dialogue, characterization, and symbol. You can refer to the List of Literary Techniques (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for a review of the literary techniques.
• How is the conflict similar to the conflict of the contemporary drama you discussed in the Influence of Tragedy in Contemporary Drama discussion this week?
• Is the development of conflict in comedy very different from its development in tragedy? If so, how? If not, what differentiates the two genres?