How to read a play

Step one is to read the introductions and any side notes. Doing so will give you a better understanding of the living situation, the dates, and any off scene information. Step two is to read a bit into the play and ask you what genre this play would call into, whether it is a comedy, tragedy or satire. Doing so will help you guess what the ending may be like. Step three is to check how many acts are throughout the play, it may give you an idea of how many conflicts this play has. Usually a play will introduce an issue or conflict then give some type of conclusion within five acts. Step four would be to create a chart of the characters and the relations and effects on each other. This will give you a visual importance of each character to refer to while reading. Step five to reading a play is to look up information in an encyclopedia. The more information you have on the time of the play was written, the better you’ll know some of the issues the characters faced during those times. Some plays may also expect you to read up beforehand, to know about major historical events. Step fix to reading a play is to write in the book, or on a piece of paper, note keywords, or ideas you come across, try to link people/objects/actions with other data found in the play. This step is important in finding resolutions and main ideas behind the play. Step seven you should use your imagination, imagine the costumes, the sets, the times of the day, and facial expressions. Step eight is to read and reread. If you feel you don’t quite understand something, reread it. After reading a passage you should understand the tone, and overall attitude that is given off. If you don’t, reread until you do.