SCRIPT ANALYSIS OUTLINE

I. SPECTACLE
Define the plays genre
Given circumstances: Everything that is true about the situation.
I.

TIME

What to define: Time of plays writing, time in which play is set, the
time that passes during the play.
Analysis:
Inspirational connections:
II.

PLACE, OR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

What to define: Exactly where are they? Immediate location, city,

state, country. How does the physical environment influence the characters
and contribute to the overall meaning of the play?
Analysis:
Inspirational connections:
III.

SOCIETY:

What to Define: Class structure, social groups that impact the play.
Analysis:
Inspirational connections:
IV.

ECONOMICS

What to define: Money, employment, financial arrangements or

transactions
Analysis:

Inspirational connections:
V.

INTELLECT AND CULTURE

What to Define: Popular culture, Icons, taste, trends, style, fashion

Analysis:
Inspirational connections:
VI.

SPIRITUALITY

What to Define: the religious or spiritual aspects of the play

Analysis:
Inspirational connections:
VII.

THE WORLD OF THE PLAY

What to Define: Values, right and wrong, the atmosphere, the reality in
which the characters exist. This also includes the point of view of the
characters and how they exist within that world, the atmosphere, and what is
normal in their world.
Analysis:

II. CHARACTER
Identify and define the characters
1.
2.
3.
4.

PROTAGONIST: WHO DRIVES THE ACTION

ANTAGONIST: WHO OR WHAT STANDS IN THEIR WAY?
OTHER CHARACTERS: WHO ARE THE OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERS?
RELATIONSHIPS AND CONFLICTS: What are the important relationships in the
play? How do they relate to the overall plot and themes?

Character analysis

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES: age, type, job, role in society, gender, physical or

mental traits.
QUALITIES: the tactics the character uses to pursue those goals.
CONFLICT AND RELATIONSHIPS: who or what each character is in conflict
with?
CONFLICT OF OBJECTIVES: obstacles encountered as characters pursue
their objectives.
WILLPOWER: the amount of intensity employed to achieve a goal.
VALUES: how a character views what is good or bad; what characters
stand for or against.
PERSONALITY: how characters appear, think and feel; how they behave.
COMPLEXITY: how aware characters are of their situation.

III.

PLOT

Action Points
Create an outline of action points; define the internal and external
action in each plot point, the given circumstances of each scene
For each major beat:
I

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES: Who, what, when, where

VIII.
EXTERNAL ACTIONS: What happens?
ix.
INTERNAL ACTIONS : How do the characters involved feel about
what happens

Backstory
I

OUTLINE THE BACKSTORY POINTS: What happened before the play began
that is revealed during the play. how do these points impact the plot
and characters?

Point One:

Point Two:
Etc.

Dramatic action structure: Identify the major moments in the play.

I

IV.

INCITING ACTION: the event that sparks the rest of the action of the play.
X.

MAIN CLIMAX : the moment where the conflict reaches its highest
intensity

XI.

FALLING ACTION: the moment the conflict is resolved

IDEAS

Identify ideas in the play.

1. Ideas in the words
a. THE TITLE: What does the title tell us about the play?
b. APHORISMS: A concise statement of principle or truth is known as
an aphorism. Do characters use aphorisms in their dialogue? If
so, when, how and why? What does that tell us about the
character?
c. ALLUSIONS: What references to people or things outside the play
are made? What do they mean?
d. IMAGERY: Is there any special significance of somethings
appearance? Identify figurative language such as metaphors and
similes. What mental images are conjured by the words the
characters speak?
e. SYMBOLISM: Does something in the play represent another thing?
If so, what is the significance of the symbol?
2. The Main idea: This is a cause and effect statement that sums up, in your
point of view, what the play is essentially about. It should come from your
own view and guide how you approach playing the character
3. The super-objective or spine of the play. A statement (agreed by director
and actors) which represents that guiding and active principle that governs
the direction and meaning of the whole play.

4. Action Summary: A 1-3 sentence summary of the entire plot that keeps
the storytelling clear and moving forward.

Themes: An idea that recurs throughout the play

1. List all relevant themes in the play
Pace and Rhythm. How quickly does the action move, how quickly is
information revealed.
Atmosphere: What is the pervading atmosphere of the play, and of
each scene
Polarity: How does the beginning of the play transform into its polar
opposite at the end?