Playwrights may use an early point of attack or a late point of ...

[Collmarie]

Playwrights may use an early point of attack or a late point of attack. Explain the differences between these and
  the resulting effect on both the plays structure and on the audiences experience.

 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What are the qualities of effective dramatic action?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[lou]

Answer to Question 1

ANSWER:Early
point of attack: the play starts near the beginning of the story and events unfold
chronologically
Late point of attack: much of the story has already taken place when the play starts
Plays with an early point of attack require little exposition
In dramatic works with a late point of attack, such as those of the ancient Greek
playwrights, many previous events need to be summarized for the audience's benefit
Plays with an early point of attack, such as many by Shakespeare, might take place over a
greater period of time and ask the audience to follow a more sprawling, spread out story
The stories in plays with a late point of attack likely end not very long after they begin,
perhaps with the audience following along in real time

Answer to Question 2

ANSWER:Effective
dramatic action is complete and self-contained.
Everything necessary in order to understand it is contained within or suggested in
the play.
It is deliberately shaped or organized.
The construction of the play reveals its purpose/goal and evokes from the audience
specific responses such pity, fear, laughter, and ridicule.
It has variety.
The play's story, characterization, idea, mood, and spectacle avoid monotony.
It engages and maintains interest.
The play's action needs to be fascinating enough to arouse theatregoers' curiosity
The characters need to be interesting enough to garner sympathy or antipathy from
the audience
The issues need to be pressing enough to provoke concern from attendees, or the
spectacle and sound novel enough to attract attention.
It is internally consistent.
Either the play's events are plausible in real life, or they should be consistent with
the way things work within the fictional world of the play.

[Collmarie]

TYSM

[zacnyjessica]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it