Composition (lat.compositio-composition, connection) - this concept is relevant for all types of arts. It is understood as the ratio of parts of a work of art. Dramatic composition can be defined as the way in which a dramatic work is ordered, as the organization of action in space and time.
The subject of the picture in dramatic work is, social conflict.
The history of dramaturgy shows that to create a holistic artistic image conflict event, to observe a simple condition, to show not only the beginning of the conflict, but also its development and result, is not easy. The difficulty lies in finding the only correct dramatic development, and then the completion of the initial situation.
Basically, due to the compositional complexity of creating a dramatic work, a fair conviction arose that dramaturgy is the most complex kind of literature.
In order to cope with compositional difficulties, the playwright needs to understand his artistic task well, to know the basic elements of dramaturgy. Of course, none piece of art not written according to a predetermined scheme. The more original this essay, the better.
Because without the basic elements dramatic composition- images of the beginning of the struggle, the course of the struggle and the result of the struggle - it is impossible to create a holistic image of a conflict event - their presence and the named sequence of location in a dramatic work are necessary, in the full sense of the word, an elementary artistic requirement of dramatic art
dramatic conflict
Dramatic work as a kind fiction depicts action, more precisely, depicts conflicts, that is, actions that lead to confrontation, to counteraction.
Conflict - from lat. conflictus - clash.
The causes of the conflict lie in the worldview of the character, his inner world and social causes must also be taken into account.
Speaking of the dramatic conflict, it should be noted in particular artistic nature. The conflict generalizes, typifies the contradiction that the playwright observes in life. The depiction of a conflict in a dramatic work is a way of revealing one or another social contradiction on a specific example of the struggle.
Thus, the conflict in the play has two sides:
1. objective - by origin, reflecting the social conflict objectively existing in society;
2. subjective, reflected in the behavior and characters of the characters.
Initially, the conflict exists before the events presented in the play. Then some event occurs that disturbs the existing balance, and the conflict unfolds, acquiring a visible form. From this moment the play begins. All next steps comes down to establishing a new balance as a consequence of the victory of one conflicting side over the other. The conflict is resolved, traditionally, at the end of the play. But there are a number of plays in which we can observe the unresolved nature of the main conflict. This is the main idea of such plays.
(Graduate work)
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CHAPTER 7
COMPOSITION
§ 1. The concept of dramatic composition
Composition (lat. Withompositio- compilation, connection) - this concept is relevant for all types of arts. It is understood as a significant correlation of parts of a work of art. Dramatic composition can be defined as the way in which a dramatic work (in particular, a text) is ordered, as an organization of action in space and time. There can be many definitions, but in them we meet two essentially different approaches. One considers the ratio of parts literary text(the discourse of the characters), the other is directly the warehouse of events, the actions of the characters (the discourse of the staging). In theoretical terms, such a division makes sense, but in the practice of stage activity it is hardly possible to implement it.
The foundations of composition were laid down in Aristotle's Poetics. In it, he names the parts of the tragedy that should be used as generators ( eide) and constituent parts ( kata to poson), into which the tragedy is divided by volume (prologue, episody, exodus, choral part, and in it parod and stasim) 1 . Here we also find the same two approaches to the problem of composition. Sakhnovsky-Pankeev pointed out the same when he said that it is simultaneously possible to “study the composition of a play according to the formal signs of the difference between parts (subdivisions) and analyze the construction based on the characteristics of the dramatic action” 2 . It seems to us that these two approaches are actually stages in the analysis of dramatic composition. The composition in the drama simultaneously depends on the principle of construction of the action, and it depends on the type of conflict and its nature. In addition, the composition of the play depends on the principle of distribution and organization of the literary text between the characters, and the relationship of the plot to the plot.
How necessary and urgent are the questions of composition in the study and analysis of a dramatic work? It is hardly possible to exaggerate their role. In 1933, B. Alpers pointed out that "questions of composition in the near future will be one of the central production issues of dramatic practice" 3 . This belief has not lost its sharpness in our time. Insufficient attention to the problems of composition leads to the fact that directors are often forced to change the composition of the play, which, in general, violates the author's intention, although it largely clarifies the meaning.
The main elements in the construction of the composition is repetition, which creates certain rhythmic sequences and the violation of this repetition is contrast. These principles are always meaning, and in some cases semantic. We will consider the types of dramatic compositions later, but we note that any composition based on some model (which is the idea) is initially drawn up as a kind of “plan” designed to maximally express the author’s intention and the main idea of the work. The composition at this stage is subordinated to the task of revealing, developing and resolving the main conflict. Therefore, if we consider the conflict as a clash of characters, then “composition is the realization of conflicts in a dramatic action, which in turn is realized in language” 1 . Thus, we remove the contradictions in the problem of understanding the dramatic composition. In matters of Poetics, composition is the law of constructing levels of meaning in a work of art. Composition allows perception to go from part to whole and vice versa, from one level of meaning to another, from primary meanings and meanings to some kind of generalization, generalized content. The director in his work adds additional structural principles due to the technology of the play's realization on the stage: pictorial composition, architectural composition, organization of the hall - stage, openness or closeness of the production, and many others. etc. To them one can add a paradoxical composition, the meaning of which is to reverse the perspective of the dramatic structure.
Considering general principles, it is necessary to consider the parts of the composition, and here we turn again to Aristotle. He was the first in theory to single out the parts of the tragedy that make up its composition. In every tragedy, writes Aristotle, there must be six parts:
legend ( mythos);
characters ( ethe);
speech ( lexis);
thought ( dianoia);
spectacle ( opsis);
musical part (melos);
What should be the store of events? The first condition is that the action must have a "known scope", i.e. be complete, whole, having a beginning, a middle and an end. The warehouse of events, like any thing that consists of parts, not only must "have these parts in order," but the volume must also be non-random. This is the law of unity and wholeness, and it expresses the relation of the part to the whole. As the next principle, Aristotle singled out the position according to which the composition should express the action concentrated not around one person, but the action. “Because with one person an infinite number of events can occur, of which others have no unity” 3 . Theatrical imitation consists in imitation of a single and whole action, which involves all the characters in its zone. Therefore, the warehouse of events is an expression of this general action. Events must be composed in such a way that “with the rearrangement or removal of one of the parts, the whole would change and be upset, because the presence or absence of which is imperceptible, is not part of the whole” 4 . It should be noted here that this is the law of "exclusion of the event", which must be applied in the analysis of the play when highlighting events and separating them from facts. If the excluded changes the plot of the entire play, this is an event; if not, it is a fact that affects the action of a character or several characters, but not the plot of the entire play.
Speaking of the plot, we should understand by it a "story", as defined by Aristotle, which undoubtedly affects overall composition plays. Tales are simple and complex (woven). Complex ones differ from simple ones - Aristotle points out - by the presence of a fracture (change of fate) based on recognition (for more details on these concepts, see "Poetics"). Aristotle calls the above mentioned parts generators, because these principles organize and order the warehouse of events in a certain sequence.
Prologue- an introductory monologue, sometimes a whole scene containing a presentation of the plot or the initial situation.
Episody - direct development of the action, dialogic scenes.
Exod - the final song accompanying the solemn departure of the choir.
choral part- it includes stasim (song of the choir without actors), the number and volume of stasims is not the same, but after the third the action moves to the denouement; commos - joint vocal part of the soloist and choir.
These are the parts of the tragedy that make up its composition. Each of these parts contains a different number of events, but there is a definite difference between them. Next, you need to consider each of these parts, and then the types of compositions that they form.
§ 2. Composition structure
With the development of dramaturgy, the initial division into the middle, beginning and end in the technique of dramaturgy became more complicated, and today these parts of a dramatic work have the following names: exposition, plot, development of action, climax, denouement and epilogue. Each element of the structure has its own functional purpose. But such a scheme was not fixed immediately, in principle, disputes over the name and number of elements continue to this day.
In 1863, Freitag proposed the following scheme for dramatic structure:
Introduction (exposition).
Exciting moment (tie).
Increasing (ascending movement of the action from the exciting moment, that is, about the tie to the climax).
Climax point.
Tragic moment.
Downward action (pivot to disaster).
The moment of the last tension (before the catastrophe).
Catastrophe.
Of course, some points in this scheme are controversial, however, this is the most interesting scheme in developing the concept of composition structure. In our country, Freytag was undeservedly forgotten, due to the fact that Stanislavsky's criticisms about the fact that the use of such a concept dries up creativity were misunderstood. This is a fair remark, but a remark actor and not theater theorist. There were several more schemes of dramatic structure, we have noted only the most interesting ones.
Aristotle Freitag
(beginning-middle-end) (rise-tragic moment-catastrophe)
Volkenstein Vasiliev
(continuous rise) (repeat-contrast-modulation)
Ultimately, all authors agree on the triadic structure of the underlying dramatic composition. Here, in our opinion, there can be no "universal" scheme, since this is creativity, and its laws remain largely a mystery to us. One way or another, if we try to bring all these schemes together, then the structure of a dramatic work can be expressed as follows:
the result of the struggle
the beginning of the struggle
the course of the struggle
From this scheme, we see that the beginning of the struggle is revealed in the exposition and the beginning of the main conflict. This struggle is realized through concrete actions (ups and downs - in the words of Aristotle) and constitutes general movement from the beginning of the conflict to its resolution. The climax is the highest tension in action. The result of the struggle is shown in the denouement and finale of the play.
§ 3. Parts of the composition
Prologue
currently acting as Foreword
-
this element
not directly related to the plot of the play. This is a place where the author can express his attitude, it is a demonstration of the author's ideas. It can also be the orientation of the presentation. Following the example of ancient Greek plays, the Prologue can be a direct appeal of the author to the viewer (“The Ordinary Miracle” by E. Schwartz), the chorus (“Romeo and Juliet”), the character (“The Life of a Man” L, Andreev), a person from the theater.
exposition
(from lat. expositio- "statement", "explanation") - part of a dramaturgical work in which the situation preceding the beginning of the action is characterized. Its task is to present all the proposed circumstances of a dramatic work. Even the very title of the play serves as an exposition to a certain extent. In addition, the task of the exposition, in addition to presenting the entire background of the play, includes exposing the action. Depending on the idea, the exhibition can be: straight(special monologue); indirect(disclosure of circumstances in the course of action);
Also in the role of the exposition may lie the display of events that occurred long before the main action of the play (see “Guilty Without Guilt” by A.N. Ostrovsky). The purpose of this part of the composition is to provide information necessary for understanding the upcoming action, a message about the country, time, place of action, a description of some events that preceded the beginning of the play and influenced it. A story about the main alignment of forces, about their grouping to the conflict, about the system of relationships and the relationship of characters in this situation, about the context in which everything must be perceived. The most common type of exposition is showing the last segment of life, the course of which is interrupted by the emergence of a conflict.
The exposition contains an event that occurs at the beginning of the play. The initial situation begins with it, giving impetus to the movement of the whole play. This event is called original. It contributes not only to revealing the fundamental principle of the plot, but effectively prepares eyeballs. The plot and exposition are inextricably linked elements of a single, initial stage play, which forms the source of dramatic action. You should not think that the initial event is the exposition - this is not true. In addition to it, several more events and various facts may also be included there. Note that our consideration is dramatic exposition, but there is also theatrical exposition. Its task is to introduce the viewer into the world of the upcoming performance. In this case, the very location of the auditorium, lighting, scenography, and more. others related to the theater, but not to the play, will be a kind of exposition.
tie
- the most important element of the composition. Here are the events that violate the original situation. Therefore, in this part of the composition there is the beginning of the main conflict, here it acquires its visible outlines and unfolds as a struggle of characters, as an action. As a rule, two opposite points of view, different interests, worldviews, ways of existence collide. And they do not just collide, but are tied into one conflict knot, the resolution of which is the goal of the play's action. It can even be said that the development of the action of the play is the resolution of the plot.
Regarding what is considered the beginning of an action, Hegel noted that “in empirical reality, each action has a lot of prerequisites, so that it is difficult to determine where the real beginning should be found. But since dramatic action is essentially based on a certain conflict, the appropriate starting point will be toy situation from which this conflict must develop in the future. It is this situation that we call the tie.
Development of action
- the most extensive part of the play, its main field of action and development. Almost the entire plot of the play is located here. This part consists of certain episodes, which many authors divide into acts, scenes, phenomena, actions. The number of acts is in principle not limited, but, as a rule, ranges from 3 to 5. Hegel believed that the number of acts should be three:
1st - collision detection;
2nd - disclosure of this collision, "as a live clash of interests, as division, struggle and conflict" 1 .
3rd - resolution in the utmost aggravation of its contradiction;
But almost all European drama adheres to a 5-act structure:
1st - exposure;
2,3,4th - development of action;
5th - final;
It should be noted that in action development find and climax- another structural element of the composition. It is independent and functionally different from action development. That is why we define it as an independent (by function) element.
climax
- by a general definition, this is the pinnacle of the development of the action of the play. In each play there is a certain milestone, which marks a decisive turn in the course of events, after which the very nature of the struggle changes. The denouement begins to rapidly approach, It is this moment that is commonly called - climax. At the core of the climax is central event, which is a radical change in the action of the play, in favor of one or another side involved in the conflict. In its structure, the culmination, as an element of the composition, can be complex, that is, it can consist of several scenes.
denouement
- here the main (plot) action of the play traditionally ends. The main content of this part of the composition is the resolution of the main conflict, the cessation of side conflicts, other contradictions that make up and complement the action of the play. The denouement is logically associated with the tie. The distance from one to the other is the plot zone. This is where it ends through action plays and characters come to one or another result, as they say in the theory of Sanskrit drama - "gaining fruit", but it is not always sweet. In European tragedy, this is the moment of the death of the hero.
Epilogue
- (epilogos) - part of the composition that produces the semantic completion of the work as a whole (and not storyline). The epilogue can be considered a kind of afterword, a summary in which the author sums up the semantic results of the play. In dramaturgy, it can be expressed as the final scene of the play, following the denouement. Not only the content, style, form, but also its very purpose has changed in the history of drama. In antiquity, an epilogue was an appeal by the choir to the viewer, which commented on the events that had taken place and explained the author's intention. In the Renaissance, the epilogue acts as an appeal to the viewer in the form of a monologue, containing the author's interpretation of events, summarizing the idea of the play. In the dramaturgy of Classicism, please be kind to the actors and the author. In realistic dramaturgy XIX century, the epilogue takes on the features of an additional scene, revealing the patterns that determine the fate of the characters. Very often, therefore, the epilogue depicted the life of the characters, many years later. In the 20th century, there is polyphony in the understanding and use of the epilogue. It often occurs at the beginning of the play, and in the course of the play it is explained how the characters came to a similar ending. Chekhov was constantly preoccupied with the question of the "original" ending of the play. He wrote: "I have interesting story for comedy, but hasn't figured out the ending yet. Whoever invents new endings for plays will invent a new era! There are no mean endings! A hero either get married or shoot yourself, there is no other way out” 1 .
Volkenstein, on the contrary, believed that “an epilogue is usually a statistical stage situation: a sign of the author's inability to give an exhaustive resolution of the “dramatic struggle” in the last act. A very controversial definition, but still not without its meaning. Indeed, some playwrights overuse the epilogue to express not so much their ideas, but to complete the action. How important is the problem of the finale of the play and the epilogue that follows from the entire content of the play, emphasizes the following opinion. “The problem of the last act is first of all an ideological problem and only then a technological one. It is in the last act, as a rule, that the resolution of the dramatic conflict is given, therefore, it is precisely here that the ideological position of the dramatic writer manifests itself most actively and definitely. An epilogue can also be understood as a kind of look into the future, answering the question: what will happen to the characters of the play in the future?
An example of an artistically solved epilogue is the "silent scene" in Gogol's "Inspector General", the reconciliation of clans in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Tikhon's rebellion against Kabanikhi in Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm".
§ 4. Laws of composition
We will not dwell on this topic in detail, it is enough to note that the literature on this issue enough. Moreover, in music, painting, architecture, they are developed with such care that, really, theater theorists should be envied. Therefore, it is difficult in this case to come up with something new, we will limit ourselves to a simple enumeration of these laws.
Integrity;
Interrelation and subordination;
proportionality;
Contrast;
Unity of content and form;
Typification and generalization;
§ 5. Types of dramatic compositions
We have already named and briefly characterized the main parts of the composition of a dramatic work. They do not have a given form of combination once and for all, but each time, combining in a new way, they create special types compositions. In the compositional presentation of the events of the play, a breakdown of the action into acts is distinguished. The events in the acts are located in completely different ways and depend primarily on the form of construction of the play.
In a play consisting of 5 acts
1 act - exposition, at the end of the act - a plot;
2nd and 3rd - development of action;
4th - climax;
5th - denouement and finale.
In a play consisting of4thactions (acts):
exposure and setting;
development action;
climax;
denouement and epilogue;
exposition, plot and the beginning of the development of the action;
development of action at the end of the climax;
denouement of the action, finale and epilogue;
1 - exposition, plot, development of action, culmination at the end;
2 - culmination, denouement, final epilogue can be placed at the beginning;
INone-act
play Naturally, everything is located in one act.
According to the sequence of events (naturally, major, i.e. defining the plot of the play) one by one we distinguish several types of compositions. Let's name a few.
Linear
- composition. This is the most common type of composition. It is characterized by the fact that in it parts of the composition follow sequentially, one after another.
Reverse - in this type of composition, although events are arranged (follow) linearly, they are in reverse order.
Ring -
characterized by the fact that in it the beginning closes with the final, i.e. the action of the play begins with what it ends with.
Detective -
we call it that, because many detective stories are written according to a similar scheme. The exposition in it drags on for quite a long time and the characters are constantly forced to turn to the beginning and try to restore it.
Mounting -
consisting of several storylines, stories that are linked into one single narrative with the help of editing. For example, two stories.
Events of the 1st story a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
l
k
Events of the 2nd story 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Editing compositionthese two stories:
a1
b2
c d3 4
e f5
g h6 7
i l8
k9
There is a montage of three or more stories. This type of composition allows you to achieve epic narration. The main characteristic of this type will be lighting that is not plot-related to each other. various events, one semantic problem underlying the work.
collage -
one of the most complex compositions but also the most interesting. It is based on a certain semantic plot built according to a structural scheme (exposition, plot, climax, denouement, epilogue), but each part of the composition is revealed by a separate story.
1
story 2 3 4 5
This is not a montage, but a collage. As a clear example, we can cite “Little Tragedies” by A.S. Pushkin, where a single plot is revealed various stories about vices. Collage as an eccentric metaphor, but not an explicit form of composition, is present in the paintings of Picasso, in the plays of B. Brecht and P. Weiss, in the direction of E. Vakhtangov and E. Piscator. This type compositions can be used especially successfully in staging.
Paradoxical - this type of composition is characterized by a reversal of perspective and a shift in dramatic structure. This deliberate violation of the harmonic compositional unity leads to the exposure of the semantic and artistic construction, which generally removes the automaticity of the viewer's perception. In reality, this is expressed as follows: a logically developing action is interrupted by a piece or scene completely unrelated in meaning, style, even genre. On the one hand, this shows the "wrong side" of the action, character, performance; on the other hand, it communicates a new vision of an ordinary, everyday event. The location of the parts of the composition in this case becomes not exactly defined, but it will be more accurate to say un-defined: the plot can be followed, for example, by the finale, and then the exposition begins. But this type of composition is used extremely rarely in dramaturgy, it is more characteristic of directorial innovations.
Thus, we see that with a single plot set of events, in a work of art it is possible to state (arrange) them completely arbitrarily, but according to certain laws. At the same time, it is necessary to distinguish sequence of events that occurred chronologically from forms of presentation these events. This brings us to the concept of disposition, which we will consider.
§ 6. Disposition and composition
This concept(disposition) is used by Vygotsky L.S. in "Psychology of Art" in the analysis of the aesthetic reaction on the example of I. Bunin's story " Easy breath". In this analysis, in his opinion, the issue of composition is especially relevant: “... events a, b, c completely change their meaning ... if we rearrange them in this order, say: b, c, a; b, a, c" 1 . When analyzing a work of art, Vygotsky proposes to distinguish between the static scheme of the construction of a story (as it were, its anatomy) from the dynamic scheme of its composition (as it were, its physiology). By "disposition" in this case is meant the chronological arrangement of the episodes that make up the story. This is commonly called the disposition of the story i.e. "natural disposition of events" 2 .
This concept is very rarely used in dramaturgy, but we still decided to include it, because. not always in theatrical practice the director is conditioned by dramaturgy. Recently, they have often resorted to staging, and in working on it, this concept becomes very important in revealing the author's intention and in building his presentation scheme.
To explain the concept of disposition, since we are talking about Vygotsky, we will use the story "Lung and Breath". So, the disposition of the story "Light Breath" by I. Bunin differs significantly from its composition. The events that took place in the life of the characters in this story are presented out of order, in the wrong sequence and relationship. The story itself consists of two stories. The first is the life of Olya Meshcherskaya; second Life cool lady. These stories do not tell about their whole life, but about last times in the life of Olya Meshcherskaya and the life of a cool lady after her death. Let us present these events in chronological order (Vygotsky's definition and names of events).
Story disposition
A- these are events related to the life of O. Meshcherskaya. They make up the main outline, the plot of the story. IN - events from the life of a classy lady. We did not include them in the general numbering, because the author does not give an exact temporal definition for them (as well as talking about easy breathing, but more on that later). In the story, these events follow a very different order.
Story Composition
14. Grave.
1. Childhood.
2. Youth.
3. Episode with Shenshin.
8. Last winter.
10. Conversation with the boss.
11. Murder.
13. Interrogation with a witness.
9. Episode with the officer.
7. Diary entry.
5. Arrival of Malyutin.
6. Communication with Malyutin.
14. Grave.
Cool lady.
Dream of a brother.
The dream of an ideological worker.
4. Talk about easy breathing.
The question of where to put the talk about easy breathing is very important. Vygotsky puts it almost at the very beginning. But Bunin does not give an exact temporal definition of this scene (“... one day at a big break, walking in the gymnasium garden ...”). This is the liberty of Vygotsky, from which the whole semantic concept of the story changes. If this scene is at the beginning, then all " love stories"there is some development of this" easy breathing". But if, after all the stories and connections of Meshcherskaya, we put this conversation about her discovery of beauty - “easy breathing” - then her refusal to go with an officer becomes completely new meaning and the more tragic the murder becomes. We emphasize once again that chronologically (in disposition) the author does not give the exact location of this scene, but in the composition we talk about light breathing completes(!) story. This may be the author's intention: for the reader to correlate the location of this story in the life of Meshcherskaya, he himself puts it in the finale.
In the Renaissance, ideas about the composition of the drama, laid down in antiquity, are streamlined.
- the basis of the drama is the plot (you need to carefully develop the intrigue of the play);
- characters must be typical;
- the five-act structure of the plays (with reference to Horace, a Roman poet and art theorist);
An extremely important position, developed in the 16th century and anticipating classicism, was the concept of "three unities" in drama - the unity of action, place and time.
The composition of the play is subject to the disclosure of the conflict.
The laws of composition:
Integrity;
Relationship and subordination;
Proportionality;
Contrast;
Unity of content and form;
Typification and generalization;
With the development of dramaturgy, the initial division into the middle, beginning and end in the technique of dramaturgy has become more complicated, and today these parts of a dramatic work have the following names: exposition, plot, development of action, climax, denouement, we also highlight the prologue - before and epilogue - after.
The Prologue currently acts as a Preface - this element is not directly related to the plot of the play. This is a place where the author can express his attitude, it is a demonstration of the author's ideas. It can also be the orientation of the presentation.
exposition
Exposition (from Latin expositio - “statement”, “explanation”) is a part of a dramatic work in which the situation preceding the beginning of the action is characterized. Its task is to present all the proposed circumstances of a dramatic work.
The exposition should be closely related to the main action. ^ The playwright must assume that he is writing for people who know absolutely nothing about his material, except for a few historical topics. The playwright should make it clear to readers:
1) who are his characters,
2) where they are,
3) when the action occurs,
4) what exactly in the present and past relationships of his characters serves as the plot plot.
Here are the events that violate the original situation. Therefore, in this part of the composition there is the beginning of the main conflict, here it acquires its visible outlines and unfolds as a struggle of characters, as an action. Tie - very important point in the development of the plot, this is the moment when decisions are made ( fraught with consequences), the moment of awakening the will to conflict, pursuing a specific goal.
Shakespeare's plays use a particular conflict to establish the causes of an action. Macbeth begins with the sinister incantations of the witches, after which we learn that Macbeth has won a great victory. Hamlet begins with a silent picture - a ghost passes silently across the stage. In both cases, the amount of information reported is directly proportional to the strength of the tension created.
^ Action Development
The most extensive part of the play, its main field of action and development. Almost the entire plot of the play is located here. This part consists of certain episodes, which many authors divide into acts, scenes, phenomena, actions.
Drama is struggle; interest in drama is, above all, interest in the struggle, in its outcome. Who will win? Will lovers unite in defiance of those who interfere with them? Will the ambitious man succeed? And so on.
The playwright keeps the reader in suspense, delaying the decisive moment of the battle, introducing new complications, the so-called "imaginary denouement", temporarily calming the reader and rekindling him again with a sudden, stormy continuation of the struggle. We are fascinated by the drama - first of all - as a competition, as a picture of the war.
In the play, the action goes along an ascending line - this is the basic law of dramaturgy. Dramaturgy requires a build-up of action, the lack of build-up in action instantly makes the drama boring. If a lot of time passes between actions and - the playwright depicts us only the moments of collisions, growing towards a catastrophe.
The increase in action in drama is achieved by:
1) The gradual introduction into the struggle of more and more active forces from the side of counteraction - characters that are more and more influential and dangerous for the hero;
2) Gradual intensification of the actions of each of the combatants.
Many plays use the alternation of dramatic, tragic scenes - scenes in which actor fight with dangerous means, with scenes in which a comic struggle takes place.
climax
The pinnacle of the development of the play. This is a required scene. In each play there is a certain milestone, which marks a decisive turn in the course of events, after which the very nature of the struggle changes.
The climax in dramaturgy is the main event that causes an increase in action, this is the immediate goal towards which the play develops.
The climax is the point in the play where the action reaches its peak. higher voltage, the most critical stage of development, after which comes the denouement.
In the play "Hedda Gabler" the climax seems to be the moment when Hedda burns Levborg's manuscript; it is the climax of all the events or crises of her life, shown in the play or occurring before it begins, that interest Ibsen. From this moment on, we see only results, the action never reaches such tension again. Even the death of Hedda is only a logical consequence of previous events.
The climax is by no means the most noisy moment in the play, it is the most significant and, therefore, the most intense moment.
denouement
Traditionally, the main (plot) action of the play ends. The main content of this part of the composition is the resolution of the main conflict, the cessation of side conflicts, other contradictions that make up and complement the action of the play. The denouement is logically associated with the tie. The distance from one to the other is the plot zone.
It should be noted that the catastrophe, which in ancient tragedy is followed by a denouement, in many new dramas, coincides with the denouement.
In the denouement, the destinies of all the main characters must be completed.
(Epilogos) - a part of the composition that produces the semantic completion of the work as a whole (and not the storyline). The epilogue can be considered a kind of afterword, a summary in which the author sums up the semantic results of the play. In dramaturgy, it can be expressed as the final scene of the play, following the denouement.
Composition (lat. Withompositio- compilation, connection) - this concept is relevant for all types of arts. It is understood as a significant correlation of parts of a work of art. Dramatic composition can be defined as the way in which a dramatic work (in particular, a text) is ordered, as an organization of action in space and time. There can be many definitions, but in them we meet two essentially different approaches. One considers the correlation of parts of a literary text (the discourse of characters), the other - directly the warehouse of events, the actions of the characters (the discourse of the staging). In theoretical terms, such a division makes sense, but in the practice of stage activity it is hardly possible to implement it.
The foundations of composition were laid down in Aristotle's Poetics. In it, he names the parts of the tragedy that should be used as generators ( eide) and constituent parts ( kata to poson), into which the tragedy is divided by volume (prologue, episody, exodus, choral part, and in it parod and stasim) 1 . Here we also find the same two approaches to the problem of composition. Sakhnovsky-Pankeev pointed out the same when he said that it is simultaneously possible to “study the composition of a play according to the formal signs of the difference between parts (subdivisions) and analyze the construction based on the characteristics of the dramatic action” 2 . It seems to us that these two approaches are actually stages in the analysis of dramatic composition. The composition in the drama simultaneously depends on the principle of construction of the action, and it depends on the type of conflict and its nature. In addition, the composition of the play depends on the principle of distribution and organization of the literary text between the characters, and the relationship of the plot to the plot.
How necessary and urgent are the questions of composition in the study and analysis of a dramatic work? It is hardly possible to exaggerate their role. In 1933, B. Alpers pointed out that "questions of composition in the near future will be one of the central production issues of dramatic practice" 3 . This belief has not lost its sharpness in our time. Insufficient attention to the problems of composition leads to the fact that directors are often forced to change the composition of the play, which, in general, violates the author's intention, although it largely clarifies the meaning.
The main elements in the construction of the composition is repetition, which creates certain rhythmic sequences and the violation of this repetition is contrast. These principles always have a semantic meaning, and in some cases a semantic one. We will consider the types of dramatic compositions later, but we note that any composition based on some model (which is the idea) is initially drawn up as a kind of “plan” designed to maximally express the author’s intention and the main idea of the work. The composition at this stage is subordinated to the task of revealing, developing and resolving the main conflict. Therefore, if we consider the conflict as a clash of characters, then “composition is the realization of conflicts in a dramatic action, which in turn is realized in language” 1 . Thus, we remove the contradictions in the problem of understanding the dramatic composition. In matters of Poetics, composition is the law of constructing levels of meaning in a work of art. Composition allows perception to go from part to whole and vice versa, from one level of meaning to another, from primary meanings and meanings to some kind of generalization, generalized content. The director in his work adds additional structural principles due to the technology of the play's realization on the stage: pictorial composition, architectural composition, organization of the hall - stage, openness or closeness of the production, and many others. etc. To them one can add a paradoxical composition, the meaning of which is to reverse the perspective of the dramatic structure.
Considering the general principles, it is necessary to consider the parts of the composition, and here we turn again to Aristotle. He was the first in theory to single out the parts of the tragedy that make up its composition. In every tragedy, writes Aristotle, there must be six parts:
legend ( mythos);
characters ( ethe);
speech ( lexis);
thought ( dianoia);
spectacle ( opsis);
musical part ( melos);
The first four parts relate directly to dramaturgy, the last two directly to performance. Aristotle considers the warehouse of events (the legend) to be the most important of all parts. the purpose of imitation is to represent an action, not a quality. In his opinion, characters give people exactly qualities. “Happy or unhappy ... are only [only] as a result of action ... [in tragedy] action is not carried out in order to imitate characters, but, [on the contrary], characters are affected [only] through action; Thus, the purpose of the tragedy is the events(our italics - I.Ch.) "2. Denoting the warehouse of events as the most important part of the tragedy, Aristotle considers the principles of organizing events into a single whole as the basis for building a composition.
What should be the store of events? The first condition is that the action must have a "known scope", i.e. be complete, whole, having a beginning, a middle and an end. The warehouse of events, like any thing that consists of parts, not only must "have these parts in order," but the volume must also be non-random. This is the law of unity and wholeness, and it expresses the relation of the part to the whole. As the next principle, Aristotle singled out the position according to which the composition should express the action concentrated not around one person, but the action. “Because with one person an infinite number of events can occur, of which others have no unity” 3 . Theatrical imitation consists in imitation of a single and whole action, which involves all the characters in its zone. Therefore, the warehouse of events is an expression of this general action. Events must be composed in such a way that “with the rearrangement or removal of one of the parts, the whole would change and be upset, because the presence or absence of which is imperceptible, is not part of the whole” 4 . It should be noted here that this is the law of "exclusion of the event", which must be applied in the analysis of the play when highlighting events and separating them from facts. If the excluded changes the plot of the entire play, this is an event; if not, it is a fact that affects the action of a character or several characters, but not the plot of the entire play.
Speaking of the plot, we should understand it as a "story", as defined by Aristotle, which undoubtedly affects the overall composition of the play. Tales are simple and complex (woven). Complex ones differ from simple ones - Aristotle points out - by the presence of a fracture (change of fate) based on recognition (for more details on these concepts, see "Poetics"). Aristotle calls the above mentioned parts generators, because these principles organize and order the warehouse of events in a certain sequence.
Prologue- an introductory monologue, sometimes a whole scene containing a presentation of the plot or the initial situation.
Episody - direct development of the action, dialogic scenes.
Exod - the final song accompanying the solemn departure of the choir.
choral part- it includes stasim (song of the choir without actors), the number and volume of stasims is not the same, but after the third the action moves to the denouement; commos - joint vocal part of the soloist and choir.
These are the parts of the tragedy that make up its composition. Each of these parts contains a different number of events, but there is a definite difference between them. Next, you need to consider each of these parts, and then the types of compositions that they form.
MAIN ELEMENTS OF DRAMATURGIC COMPOSITION
The word composition comes from Latin words"compositio" (drawing up) and "compositus" - well-placed, slender, correct.
Any work of art in all its forms and genres must create a complete image of the depicted. If the artist's goal is to depict a person at work, he will definitely show both the tools of labor, the processing material, and the working movement of the worker. If the subject of the image is the character of a person, his inner essence - sometimes it is enough for an artist to depict only one person's face. Recall, for example, famous portrait Rembrandt "The Old Man" The person is not depicted here in its entirety, but the integrity of the image was not only not affected by this, but, on the contrary, won. After all, the subject of the image in this case is not the figure of the old man, but his character. Depicting the face of an old man, Rembrandt creates typical image human character, characteristic of old people who have lived a long life filled with experiences. This image is completely finished, holistic.
The subject of the image in a dramaturgic work is, as we already know, a social conflict (of one scale or another), personified in the heroes of the work.
The history of dramaturgy shows that it is by no means easy to create a complete artistic image of a conflict event, to observe a seemingly simple condition, to show not only the beginning of the conflict, but also its development and result. The difficulty lies in finding the only correct dramatic development, and then the completion of the initial situation.
When the beginning of the play remains its most interesting part and further development proceeds from the beginning not “up” but “down”, its author is forced to throw new “logs” into his fading fire, replacing the development of this conflict from its initial situation by tying some new ones. , additional collisions. This path excludes the completion of the play by resolving the conflict with which it began, and leads, as a rule, to an artificial conclusion by way of the author's volitional command over the destinies of his characters.
Basically, due to the compositional complexity of creating a dramatic work, a fair belief appeared that dramaturgy is the most complex kind of literature. Add to this: good dramaturgy. For seventy pages of a bad play are easier to write than nine hundred pages of a bad novel.
In order to cope with compositional difficulties, the playwright needs to understand his artistic task well, to know the basic elements of a dramatic composition and to imagine the “typical structure” of constructing a dramatic work. The word structure is not accidentally placed here in quotation marks. Of course, no work of art is written according to a predetermined pattern. The more original the essay, the better.
The "scheme" in no way encroaches either on the individual originality of each given play, or on the infinite variety of works of dramatic art as a whole. It is conditional in nature and serves to clearly explain what compositional requirements are in question. It will also be useful for analyzing the structure of dramatic works.
At the same time, the proposed “typical structure” objectively reflects the composition of a dramatic work as such and, therefore, has some obligation.
The correlation between convention and obligation here is as follows: the content of the play and the ratio of the sizes of its parts in each given work are different. But their presence and sequence of arrangement are obligatory for all works.
The essence of this relationship can be illustrated by a quite convincing example.
The diversity of human individualities of the living, living and future people is boundless. Each person is individual and unique. However, all people have a single "structure" of the body. Deviations from it, illness or injury - a great misfortune. It would therefore be strange to consider it an attack on the individuality of each individual person"scheme" of a person in general. Of course, such an image of him is the ultimate simplification of the object. This, however, does not make this "scheme" wrong and even in the slightest degree controversial. There is hardly anyone who does not agree that any violation of this "scheme" of "man in general" is undesirable in absolutely every case.
A person who lacks at least one element of the universal "constitution" - although he can live, is an invalid. In the same ratio is the general "scheme" of a dramatic work and the uniqueness of each individual play.
There are quite a few plays and scripts constructed without observing the necessary compositional requirements. Some of them live - go on the stages of theaters, sometimes - with success. But these are nevertheless plays - "disabled". They would undoubtedly be much more complete if their “arms”, “legs” and “head” were “intact” and in their places. This applies not only to obviously bad plays. There are quite a few plays that went on with great success, leaving a noticeable mark on the history of the theater, which, however, could have been better if their authors had been more thoroughly artistically refined, “brought to standard”. The most authoritative confirmation of this is the statements of the playwrights themselves. So, for example, N. Pogodin, whose famous play “The Aristocrats” ends with a rally of criminals, “pests” and other prisoners reforged on the White Sea Canal, admitted that “with persistent and long searches, it was possible to find a more successful ending for“ Aristocrats ”. A finale that beautifully and powerfully puts the last point ... without tiresome speeches on stage. One cannot but agree with this.
Underestimation and misunderstanding of the paramount importance of composition in writing a dramatic work is quite common. Many authors are seriously convinced that the neglect of composition is a sign of the free flight of their creativity, the path to innovation.
Improvement is at the heart of true innovation. artistic means, strengthening their effective power, raising the previous level of artist's skill to a higher level. Relief creative task by refusing to fulfill the elementary requirements of his art leads to the creation of an inferior work. Talk about innovation is intended in such cases to cover up the creative helplessness of the author.
Since without the main elements of the dramatic composition - the image of the beginning of the struggle, the course (development) of the struggle and the result of the struggle - it is impossible to create a holistic image of a conflict event, their presence and the named sequence of location in a dramatic work are a necessary, in the full sense of the word, elementary artistic requirement of a dramatic art.
Hegel drew attention to the need for the presence of the three named basic elements in a work of dramaturgy. Therefore, the fundamental scheme underlying the dramatic work is usually called the Hegelian triad.
For clarity, the fundamental structure of a dramatic work - Hegel's triad - can be depicted in this way.
Based on the fundamental structure of the work, we list the specific elements of the dramatic composition, and then reveal the essence and purpose of each of them.
The beginning of the struggle is revealed in the exposition and in the beginning of the main conflict.
The course of the struggle is revealed through specific actions and clashes of the characters - through the so-called ups and downs that make up the general movement of the action from the beginning of the conflict to its resolution. In many plays (although not all) there is a pronounced moment of the highest tension of the action - the climax.
The result of the struggle is shown in the denouement (resolution) of the main conflict and in the finale of the play.
position before the tie
new position (after interchange)
the beginning of the main conflict
denouement
main
conflict
Each dramatic work necessarily has an exposition, that is, an initial part.
Exposure - initial part dramatic work. Its purpose is to inform the viewer of the information necessary to understand the upcoming action of the play. Sometimes it is important to let the viewer know in which country and at what time the events take place. Sometimes it is necessary to report something from what preceded the conflict. So, for example, if the viewer does not know from the very beginning that the hero of Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw - Mr. Higgins - is a linguist who studies various dialects and patterns of profanity, he will not understand, or rather, misunderstand the reasons that prompted Higgins to take into his a stately aristocratic house for an ill-mannered and uncouth girl - street flower girl Eliza Doolittle.
The exposition has one more task. With its help, so to speak, in its space, a person who has come to the theater is transformed into a spectator, a participant in the collective perception of the play. In the exposition, the viewer gets an idea about the genre of the work.
The most common type of exposition is the display of that last segment of everyday life, the course of which will be interrupted by the emergence of a conflict.
Dramaturgy has much in common with the folk tale and most likely comes from it. Dramaturgy took from folk tale, as its main theme, its main miracle, a social miracle - the victory of good over evil. There is also much in common between the construction of a fairy tale and the structure of a dramatic work. In particular, the exposition of most plays is built on the same principle as the exposition of a fairy tale. So, for example, "An old man lived with his old woman by the very blue sea," says at the beginning of Pushkin's "Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish." “The old man was fishing with a net. The old woman "spun her yarn." This went on for “exactly thirty years and three years”, but there was no “fairy tale”. Only when the old man caught a goldfish that spoke human voice, this ordinary flow of life was interrupted, an occasion arose for this story, the "Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" began.
The beginning in many plays is built on the same principle: “Once upon a time ...” and suddenly there is “ gold fish”or“ the golden egg ”of this work is the conflict that will be depicted in it.
Another type of exposition - Prologue - a direct appeal of the author to the viewer, short story about the characters of the future action and its character. In a number of cases, the prologue exhausts the exposition, since the plot of the play's conflict is contained (announced) in itself. Often, however, the prologue only opens the exposition, which then continues until the beginning of the conflict by showing the flow of life that preceded it. This is how the beginning of Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" is constructed. The exposition after a short prologue continues throughout the first act.
Sometimes a play begins with an inversion, that is, showing how the conflict will end before the action begins. This technique is often used by the authors of action-packed works, in particular, detective stories. The task of inversion is to captivate the viewer from the very beginning, keep him in additional tension with the help of information about the end of the depicted conflict.
There is also a moment of inversion in Shakespeare's prologue to Romeo and Juliet. The tragic outcome of their love is already mentioned in it. In this case, the inversion has a different purpose than to make the ensuing "sad tale" fascinating. Having told how his dramatic narrative will end, Shakespeare removes interest in what will happen in order to focus the viewer's attention on how this will happen, on the essence of the relationship of the characters that led to a tragic end known in advance.
From what has been said, it should be clear that the exposition - the initial part of a dramatic work - lasts until the beginning of the plot - the plot of the main conflict of this play. It is extremely important to emphasize that we are talking about the beginning of the main conflict, the development of which is the subject of the image in this play.
From the very beginning of the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, we encounter manifestations of the age-old conflict between the Montagues and the Capulet families. But this enmity is not the subject of the image in this work. It lasted for centuries, so they "lived and were", but there was no reason for this play. Only when the young representatives of the two warring clans - Romeo and Juliet - fell in love with each other, did the conflict arise, which became the subject of the image in this work - the conflict between the bright human feeling love and a dark misanthropic feeling of tribal enmity.
Thus, the notion - "setting" - includes the setting of the main conflict of this play. In the plot, his movement begins - a dramatic action.
Some modern playwrights and theater critics express the opinion that in our time, when the pace and rhythms of life have accelerated immeasurably, it is possible to do without exposition, and start the play right away with the action, with the outset of the main conflict, taking, as they say, the bull by the horns. This way of putting the question is wrong. In order to "take the bull by the horns", you must at least have a bull in front of you. Only the heroes of the play can start a conflict. But we must understand the meaning and essence of what is happening. Like every moment real life- the life of the heroes of the play can only take place in a specific time and in a specific space. Not to designate either one or the other, or at least one of these coordinates, would mean an attempt to depict some kind of abstraction. The conflict in this unimaginable case would arise from nothing, which contradicts the laws of motion of matter in general. Not to mention such a difficult moment in its development as the movement of human relations. Thus, the idea of doing without exposure when creating a play is not well thought out.
Sometimes the exposure is combined with the plot. This is exactly how it is done in N. V. Gogol's The Government Inspector. The very first phrase of the mayor, addressed to the officials, contains all the necessary information for understanding the subsequent action, and, at the same time, is the beginning of the main conflict of the play. It is difficult to agree with E. G. Kholodov, who believes that the plot of the "Inspector" occurs later, when the "comedy knot" is tied, that is, when Khlestakov was mistaken for the auditor. The plot is the plot of the main conflict of the play, and not this or that plot "knot". There is no conflict between the characters in The Inspector General. All of them - both officials and Khlestakov - are in conflict with the viewer, with goodie sitting in the hall. And this conflict of satirical heroes with the audience begins before the appearance of Khlestakov. The very first acquaintance of the viewer with the officials, with their fear about the “unpleasant” news for them about the arrival of the auditor, is the beginning of the conflict (according to the specific laws of satire) confrontation between the “heroes” and the audience. The denial with laughter of bureaucratic Russia depicted in the comedy begins with the exposition.
Such an approach to interpreting the plot of The Inspector General, in my opinion, is more in line with the definition of the plot, which, based on Hegel, is given by E.G. Kholodov himself: and its needs, give rise to just that specific conflict, the deployment and resolution of which constitutes a special action of this particular work of art.
This is what we see at the beginning of The Inspector General - a certain conflict, the deployment of which constitutes the action of this work.
Sometimes the main conflict of the play does not appear immediately, but is preceded by a system of other conflicts. Shakespeare's Othello is full of conflicts. Conflict between Desdemona's father - Brabantio and Othello. The conflict between Desdemona's unfortunate fiancé Rodrigo and his rival, the more fortunate Othello. Conflict between Rodrigo and Lieutenant Cassio. There is even a fight between them. Conflict between Othello and Desdemona. It arises at the end of the tragedy and ends with the death of Desdemona. Conflict between Iago and Cassio. And, finally, one more conflict, which is the main conflict of this work - the conflict between Iago and Othello, between the bearer of envy, servility, chameleonism, careerism, petty selfishness - which is Iago, and a direct, honest, trusting person, but possessing a passionate and furious character, which is Othello.
Resolution of the main conflict. As already mentioned, the denouement in a dramatic work is the moment of resolving the main conflict, the removal of the conflict contradiction, which is the source of the movement of the action. For example, in The Inspector General, the denouement is the reading of Khlestakov's letter to Tryapichkin.
In Othello, the denouement of the main conflict comes when Othello learns that Iago is a slanderer and a scoundrel. Let's pay attention to the fact that this happens after the murder of Desdemona. It is wrong to believe that the denouement here is precisely the moment of the murder. The main conflict of the play is between Othello and Iago. Killing Desdemona, Othello does not yet know who he is. main enemy. Consequently, only the elucidation of the role of Iago is here the denouement.
In "Romeo and Juliet", where, as already mentioned, the main conflict lies in the confrontation between the love that broke out between Romeo and Juliet, and the age-old enmity of their families. The denouement is the moment when this love ends. It ended with the death of the heroes. Thus, their death is the denouement of the main conflict of the tragedy.
The outcome of the conflict is possible only if the unity of action is preserved, the main conflict that began in the plot is preserved. From this follows the requirement: this outcome of the conflict must be contained as one of the possibilities for its resolution already in the plot.
In the denouement, or rather, as a result of it, a new situation is created in comparison with the one that took place in the plot, which is expressed with a new relationship between the characters. This new attitude can be quite varied.
One of the heroes may die as a result of the conflict.
It also happens that outwardly everything remains completely the same, as, for example, in John Priestley's "Dangerous Turn". The heroes realized that they had only one way out: to immediately end the conflict that had arisen between them. The play ends with a deliberate repetition of everything that happened before the beginning of the “dangerous turn” of the conversation, the old fun begins, empty talk, glasses of champagne clink ... Outwardly, the relationship of the characters is again exactly the same as before. But it's a form. And in fact, as a result of what happened, the previous relationship is excluded. Former friends and colleagues have become fierce enemies.
The final is the emotional and semantic completion of the work. "Emotionally" - this means that we are talking not only about the semantic result, not just about the conclusion from the work.
If in a fable morality is expressed directly - “the moral of this fable is this”, then in a dramatic work the finale is a continuation of the action of the play, its last chord. The finale concludes the play with a dramatic generalization and not only completes this action, but opens the door to perspective, to the connection of this fact with a wider social organism.
A great example of an ending is the ending of The Inspector General. The denouement occurred, Khlestakov's letter was read. The officials who have deceived themselves have already been ridiculed by the viewer. The Governor has already delivered his monologue-self-accusation. At the end of it, an appeal was made to the audience - “Who are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourself!”, which already contains a great generalization of the whole meaning of the comedy. Yes, not only they - the officials of a small provincial town - the subject of her angry denunciation. But Gogol does not put an end to this. He writes one more, final scene. A gendarme appears and says: “An official who arrived by personal order from St. Petersburg demands you all this very hour ...” This is followed by Gogol's remark: “A silent scene.”
This reminder of the connection of this town with the capital, with the tsar, is necessary in order for the satirical denial of the behavior of the officials of the town to spread to the entire bureaucracy of Russia, to the entire apparatus of tsarist power. And it's happening. Firstly, because Gogol's heroes are absolutely typical and recognizable, they give a generalized image of the bureaucracy, its morals, the nature of the performance of their official duties.
The official arrived "by personal order", that is, by order of the king himself. A direct connection between the characters of the comedy and the king has been established. Outwardly, and even more so for censorship, this finale looks harmless: outrages were happening somewhere, but from the capital, from the king, real auditor and order will be restored. But this is purely the external meaning of the final scene. Its true meaning is different. One had only to recall here about the capital, about the tsar, as through this “communication channel”, as we now say, all impressions, all the indignation that accumulated during the performance rush to this address. Nicholas I understood this. After clapping his hands at the end of the performance, he said: “Everyone got it, but most of all I.”
An example of a strong ending is the end of Shakespeare's already mentioned tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The main characters of the tragedy have already died. This unleashes, resolves the conflict that arose due to their love. But Shakespeare writes the end of the tragedy. The leaders of the warring clans are reconciled at the grave of their dead children. The condemnation of the wild and absurd enmity that separated them sounds all the stronger because in order to stop it, it took two beautiful, innocent, young creatures to be sacrificed. Such an ending contains a warning, a generalized conclusion against those dark prejudices that cripple human destinies. But at the same time, this conclusion is not "added" to the action of the tragedy, it is not "suspended" by the author. It follows from the natural continuation of the events of the tragedy. The burial of the dead, the repentance of the parents responsible for their deaths do not need to be invented - all this naturally completes and ends the "sad" story of Romeo and Juliet.
The finale in the play is, as it were, a verification of the dramaturgy of the work as a whole. If the main elements of his composition are violated, if the action that began as the main one is replaced by another, the final will not work. If the playwright did not have enough material, lacked talent or knowledge, lacked dramatic experience in order to complete his work with a genuine finale, the author often, in order to get out of the situation, ends the work with the help of an ersatzfinal. But not every ending under one pretext or another is the final, can serve as the emotional and semantic completion of the work. There are several stamps, typical examples of ersatzfinal. They are especially visible in the movies. When the author does not know how to end the film, the characters, for example, sing a cheerful song or, holding hands, go into the distance, getting smaller and smaller...
The most common type of ersatzfinal is the "punishment" of the author with the hero. In the play "104 Pages About Love", its author - E. Radzinsky - specially made his heroine a representative of a dangerous profession - an aeroflot stewardess.
When Anna Karenina ends her life under the wheels of a train, this is the result of what happened to her in the novel. In the play by E. Radzinsky, the death of the plane on which the heroine flew has nothing to do with the action of the play. The relationship between the hero and the heroine developed largely artificially, through the author's willful efforts. The different characters of the heroes complicated their relationship, however, the ground for the development of a conflict, a genuine contradiction, reflecting any significant social problem, not in the play. Conversations "on the subject" could go on endlessly. In order to somehow finish the work, the author himself "ruined" the heroine with the help of an accident - a fact external to the content of the play. This is a typical ersatzfinal.
The problem of such an ersatzfinal - with the help of the murder of a hero - was considered by E. G. Kholodov: “If this alone achieved drama, it would not be easier than to pass for a tragic poet. Lessing ridiculed such a primitive understanding of the problem of the tragic”: “any scribbler who would bravely strangle and kill his heroes and not let a single one leave the stage alive or healthy would also imagine himself as tragic as Euripides ".
