Chapter VI: From Subject to Plot: Arrangement for Clearness, Emphasis, Movement

The chief desideratum of a dramatist beginning to arrange his material within a number of acts already decided on is to create interest as promptly as possible. To that end neither striking dialogue nor stirring situation is of prime consequence. Clearness is. When an audience does not understand who the people are with whom the play opens and their relations to one another, no amount of striking dialogue or stirring situation will create lasting interest. The danger for a later public of allusive reference clear enough at one time is shown by the verses sung when the Helstone Furry, or Flower Dance, takes place in Cornwall. Lines once full of meaning are today so out of date as to be meaningless.

From an early hour the place is alive with drums and fifes, and
townsmen hoarsely chanting a ballad, the burden of which conveys the
spirit of the festival:

With Hal-an-tow,
Jolly rumble O,
And we are up as soon as any day O,
And for to fetch the Summer home,
The Summer and the May O;
For the Summer is a-come O,
And Winter is a-go O!

The verses of the ballad seem to convey topical allusions that have
become traditional. One speaks of Robin Hood and Little John as gone
to the fair, and the revellers will go too; another triumphs in the
Spaniards eating the gray goose feather while the singers will be
eating the roast. Another runs thus quaintly:

God bless Aunt Mary Moses
With all her power and might O;
And send us peace in merry England
Both night and day O.
With Hal-an-tow,
Jolly rumble O,
And we were up as soon as any day O,
And for to fetch the Summer home,
The Summer and the May O;
For the Summer is a-come O,
And Winter is a-go O!

Thus singing they troop through the town; if they find anyone at work,
they hale him to the river and make him leap across; arrived at the
Grammar School they demand a holiday; at noon they go "fadding" into
the country, and come back with oak branches and flowers in their hats
and caps; then until dusk they dance hand-in-hand down the streets,
and through any house, in at any door, out at another; when night
falls they keep up the dancing indoors. The character of the dancing
is exactly that of the ancient Comus; and the whole spirit of the
Cornish Furry is a fair representation of primitive nature festivals,
except, of course, that modern devoutness has banished from the flower
dance all traces of a religious festival;--unless a trace is to be
found in the fact that the dancers at one point make a collection.[1]

The Greek dramatist, staging religious legends, could assume in his audience common knowledge as to the identity and the historic background of his figures which saved him much exposition. Today, readers of his play demand explanatory notes because of these omissions.

The _Choephori_, like the plays of Aeschylus generally, consists of scenes from a story taken as known. Some indispensable parts of it are represented only by allusions. Others can scarcely be said to be represented at all. The history of Pylades belongs to the second class; that of Strophius belongs to the first. What is evident is that the author presumes us to be familiar with his conception of both, that as a fact we are not, and that our only way of approaching the play intelligently is by the assumption of some working hypothesis.[2]

Something like the position of these elder dramatists toward exposition is held today by writers of plays on George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Dealing, as the dramatist ordinarily does, however, with a mixture of historical and fictitious figures or with characters wholly fictitious, he must in most cases carefully inform his audience at the outset who his people are, and what are their relations to one another, where the play is laid, and when.

Examine the first column of what follows: it is not a burlesque, but the beginning of a so-called play. Why is it unsatisfactory?

ORCHIDS

_Conservatory of the Strones' house. Natalie is walking about among
the flowers and plants, arranging them for the day in the vases on the
near-by table._

_Natalie._ _Natalie._
(_To herself._) O-oh, (_To herself._) O-oh,
I'm sleepy this morning. It's I'm sleepy this morning. It's
very nice to have your fiance live very nice to have your fiance
in the next house, but when he live in the next house, but when
insists on writing his stories and (Tom) insists on writing his stories
things until two or three in the and things until two and
morning--well, I don't think three in the morning--well, I
it's very thoughtful of him. don't think it's very thoughtful
He might realize that his light of him. He might realize
shines directly across into my that his light shines directly
eyes and keeps me awake. Oh, across into my eyes and keeps
dear, Mary's been putting me awake. Oh, dear, (that
lilies-of-the-valley in all the maid's) been putting
vases again. I'll not have those lilies-of-the-valley in all the
everywhere when we've got orchids vases again. I'll not have those
instead. Flowers don't need everywhere when we've got orchids
fragrance anyway; they're just instead. Flowers don't need
meant to be seen. (_Dumping the fragrance anyway; they're just meant
wilted lilies in a basket by her to be seen. (_Dumping the wilted
side and arranging the newly-cut lilies in a basket by her side and
orchids in their place._) Tom [Who arranging the newly-cut orchids
is Tom--brother or fiance?] in their place._)
always makes a fuss when I have Tom always makes a fuss when
nothing but orchids, so I suppose I have nothing but orchids, so
Mary put the others about I suppose Mary put the others
to calm him down. [Who is about to calm him down.
Mary, then: a maid, a sister,
a girl friend, some one engaged
to Tom?] Really I've
got to speak to him about last Really I've got to speak to (Tom
night when he comes. The light Hammond) about last night,
is bad enough, but I won't when he comes. The light is bad
have him firing his gun out of enough, but I won't have him
the window besides. It must firing his gun out of the window
have been at that horrid thin besides. It must have been
cat that's always clawing Hopeful. at that horrid thin cat that's
[A cat, a dog, or a small always clawing Hopeful.
sister?] I'm glad _she_ [Hopeful I'm glad (Hopeful)
or the thin cat?] was locked up was locked up indoors if Tom's
indoors if Tom's going to act going to act that way (with cats).
that way. Oh, dear, these are Oh, dear, these are the wrong
the wrong shears again. (_Rings shears again. (_Rings bell. Enter
bell. Enter maid._) Mary, bring maid._) Mary, bring me the
me the other shears--and other shears--and Mary,
Mary, where's Hopeful this where's Hopeful this morning;
morning; I haven't seen her? I haven't seen her?

_Mary._ The kitten, Miss _Mary._ The kitten, Miss
Strone? Strone?

_Natalie._. Yes, of course. _Natalie._ Yes, of course.

_Mary._ Why--why she hasn't _Mary._ Why--why she hasn't
been in this morning. (_Starts been in this morning. (_Starts
away._) away._)

_Natalie._ Come back, Mary. _Natalie._ Come back, Mary.
Don't run off while I'm speaking Don't run off while I'm speaking
to you. Haven't you seen to you. Haven't you seen
her at all? her at all?

_Mary._ Well--yes, Miss _Mary._ Well--yes, Miss
Strone--that is Parkins [another Strone--that is (the butler)
maid, a butler, or a found--I mean--
milkman?] found--I mean--

_Natalie._ (_Impatiently._) Well? _Natalie._ (_Impatiently._) Well?

_Mary._ The shots last night, _Mary._ The shots last night,
Miss Strone--that is we think Miss Strone--that is we think
it was--although she _was_ on it was--although she _was_ on
the _other_ side of the garden the _other_ side of the wall when
when Parkins came on her--and Parkins came on her--and
there's the wall and the alley there's the wall and the alley
between--still, Mr. Hammond between--still, Mr. Hammond
was shooting out of the was shooting out of the upper
upper windows and-- windows and--

_Natalie._ (_Quickly._) Has _Natalie._ (_Quickly._) Has
anything happened to Hopeful? anything happened to Hopeful?

_Mary._ Why--why, Parkins-- _Mary._. Why--why, Parkins--

(_Enter Parkins._) (_Enter Parkins._)

_Parkins._ (_Quietly._) I buried _Parkins._ (_Quietly._) I buried
her all right just now, Miss her all right just now, Miss
Strone. (_Louder._) Mr. Hammond. Strone. (_Louder._) (Mr. Hammond.)

(_Exit [sic.] Mary and Parkins,_ (_Exeunt Mary and Parkins,_
_enter Tom Hammond._) _enter Tom Hammond._)

In the left-hand column practically every one in the cast is unidentified when first mentioned. That is, the text fails in the first essential of clearness: we do not for some time know who the people are and their relations to one another. The very slight changes in the right-hand column do away with this fault.

Identify characters, then, as promptly as possible. Writing, "John Paul Jones enters in full Admiral's uniform," a dramatist often runs on for some time before the text itself reveals the identity of the person who has entered. Except in so far as the costume or make-up presents a well-known historical figure, or information carefully given before the figure enters may reveal identity, every newcomer is an entirely unknown person. He must promptly make clear who he is and his relation to the story. The following opening of a play shows another instance of the vagueness resulting when this identification is not well managed:

ANNE--A PLAY IN TWO ACTS