Here we are taking a look at the next 5 sections of Aristotle’s poetics. As I stated last time, I’m working through Aristotle’s Poetics in an attempt to figure out why, even today, he is pointed to by script-writers as a guiding light in the production of drama. He is wordy, and often difficult to work out but, little by little, I’m beginning to see what his fans appreciate about him. Today we look at the elements of drama, in particular, plot, and what makes a good plot (at least according to Aristotle).

POETICS BOOK V

On Comedy and the Epic

In book V Aristotle treats briefly of comedy and the epic.Comedy concerns itself with the ridiculous (but not harmful). That is, in a comedy people behave in dysfunctional or inappropriate ways (such that they appear ridiculous and elicit laughter) but without suffering harm or eliciting sympathy. This was important to Aristotle, because, as already stated, plays in Greek society served an overtly moral purpose and so, he felt the need to establish the moral credentials of comedy. For Aristotle, the comedy was morally useful in rendering inappropriate social behavior ridiculous and thereby furnishing the audience with examples to avoid.

The Epic differs from Tragedy in that it is wider in scope and narrative in form. In today’s parlance, the epic is a book, while the tragedy is a play. A book is narrated, while a play is enacted, primarily, before the eyes (as an audio-play is enacted, primarily, before the ears). Everything you might find in a book can be found in a play, but not everything in a play is found in a book.

If we think of the comedies of Shakespeare, we see this principle at work. The plays might deal with serious matter (duels, love, suicide, etc.), but it is all done in good fun and no-one is ever really hurt (humiliated, maybe, but never hurt). The duels are avoided, the suicides are revealed to have been faked etc. Even where the antagonist gets their come-upance, their final fate is dealt with “off-stage”.

We also see that characters rarely grow or change in comedies designed after the Aristotellian model. The character we meet at the beginning of a comedy is just the same as at the end (though their circumstances may have changed). Is the bachelor egotistical and vapid at the beginning of the story? He will be so at the end (even if by that time he is married). Is the character selfish and stupid? They will remain so.We could do worse than follow such a model. For Aristotle, growth or character change undermined the ridiculous nature of the character and, instead, inspire empathy. This, Aristotle felt, removed what made comedy, comedy.Today, we are much more inclined to want to include character depth in comedy writing, but the principle remains true that the more we have a character grow and change, the less ridiculous they become. Fixed and unchanging characters are a feature of comedy that find little place in tragedy (except, perhaps, as comic relief).

POETICS BOOK VI

Tragedy

Now, back to tragedy (or the play).One of Aristotle’s more difficult, and famous, definitions reads “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.

“We’ve dealt elsewhere with the notion that plays, “through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions”, are required to be morally useful. This may be a laudable opinion (sort of), but it is not a constraint we feel the need to strictly apply today. Even as recently as the Golden Age of Radio, radio-shows, such as the Shadow, felt constrained (and were in fact constrained by law) to include deliberate moral lessons – “the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows”, etc. Today, we feel far less constrained and can produce a work of art or play simply to be entertaining. That said, it would be foolish to consider art morally neutral. Entertainment is a high calling, providing people with a way to cope with the stresses of life, a temporary release from suffering, a means of sharing joy with others, etc. It can also be deliberately corruptive. Sometimes this is a feature of the design of the work. Sometimes this is a function of the use to which the work is put. Personally, I feel horrendously under-qualified to be giving writers any moral advice beyond ” be aware of the consequences of your choices, be responsible, own your decisions, and, where possible, try to avoid doing harm”.

Much of the remainder of Aristotle’s definition is common sense. According to Aristotle, a play presents a recognizable and plausible imitation of reality (even where that reality is made fantastic by the presence of gods and monsters). More on this later.Tragedy, in distinction to comedy, is serious. Dealing, as it should, with important themes and actions and consequences, etc. If it is not serious, then it is, in fact, comedy.

It is complete, in that it has a beginning, middle, and end that are intrinsic to the story. A good play begins with the first meaningful action of the story, relates only those events necessary to moving the story forward, and concludes as soon as the story is resolved. All irrelevant material is rejected. Completeness, therefore involves not only including everything necessary for the telling of the tale, but also an economic approach, excluding everything that would distract from it.

To say that a play is of a certain magnitude is to say that it is limited in duration, but also that it functions within certain fixed limits. A stage play has a limited amount of time to tell its story, true. But it also has only so much real-estate with which to work (the stage), the patience of the audience with the story (an audience will only sit still so long) as well as budgetary constraints on the degree and quality of the set, costumes, props, orchestra, etc. that accompany it.

It is often said that Radio is free of constraint. We can, in much the way that a book might, place the setting of our play anywhere in this universe or another. We can as easily visit the belly of a whale or the farthest star.

This freedom is not without limits, however. The radio audience must be engaged quickly. Distraction is only a channel-change away. The soundscape and dialog must be readily decodable. The number of voices must not be so many as to make recognition of the characters difficult without visual aid, etc.

A key feature of drama (and especially of audio drama) is that it is delivered in dialog. Yes, exceptions exist – the BBC’s famous sound-only story, The Revenge, by Andrew Sachs, has no dialog and stands out as a case in point. But generally, dialog is the medium of storytelling in audio-drama. Aristotle places language “embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play” front and center.It is safe to say that that audio-dramatist must be able to do the same, harnessing dialog as a means of story-telling, if they wish to produce scripts for this medium.

The famous maxim “show don’t tell” finds its origin in Aristotle’s insistence that, as far as plays are concerned, drama is “found in action, not narrative”.

But what of non-visual media, like radio, that rely on dialog? The maxim still holds. Characters should not tell us that they are, for example, angry. We should intuit the anger via subtext. We show the anger through the characters words and interactions (with supporting sounds), but we should never tell the audience the character’s emotional state, outright.

COMPARE…

BOB: I’m so angry, I feel like slamming the door today. The yellow party won the election.

WITH…

BOB: Get the hell out of my way! And take that damned yellow hat off. I don’t care who won the election. I’m not having one of those hats in this office.

SOUND: OFFICE DOOR SLAMS

According to Aristotle, tragedy is made up of six parts, organized under three categories;

Category 1: Objects of Action (comprising of Plot, Character, and Thought)

Category 2: Means or Manner of Action (comprising of Language – diction – and Melody)

Category 3: Mode or Medium of Action (comprising of Spectacle (costume, special effects, and scenery).

Aristotle makes plot the primary element of storytelling. For this he has been roundly criticized on many occasions. Those who enjoy character-based drama have often found his opinion obnoxious, feeling, with some justification, that writers who focus primarily on plot produce weak stories. There would be some justification to this viewpoint if Aristotle was only interested in plot (to the exclusion of all else), but he is not. His interest in plot is fundamentally an interest in action and reaction.

Character is revealed in the actions and reactions that the dramatis personae have to the events around them. Character is internal, but, internal character is not accessible to the eye. Because people are capable of deception and lies, it is not accessible to the ear, either. As human beings we can choose to believe or disbelieve what a person says, but we rarely discount what we see them do.

As a result, Aristotle argues that a person’s true character is not revealed by their statements but by their actions. The coward may talk of his bravery, but his true character is revealed when it is tested by events and results in action (standing-fast or running away). Because Aristotle emphasizes the revelation of character through the actions and reactions of characters (rather than through narrative explanation), he argues that events/plot are primary. In no way does he exclude the importance of character. He merely demands that character be revealed in action.

Of the elements of a plot, he singles out the reversal and recognition (discussed later) as the most significant.

Aristotle places character second in his list. Character is where we learn of the moral qualities of the individual (remember his idea that characters are either better, worse, or the same as us). It’s worth stating again that extremes of character are to be avoided (except, perhaps, in comedy). The perfectly good and perfectly evil character do not feel real to us. We know ourselves to be flawed and we empathize with the flaws we observe in others (even as we like or dislike the character overall). The catalyst for the revelation of character are the events of the plot.

Thirdly, Aristotle discusses thought, more properly understood as motivation. A character’s action must never be random. Something must motivate it and that motivation must be plausible. If a character expresses fear, there must be something in the environment or in the mind/thoughts of the character that elicits that fear. If a character begins to run, there must be an accompanying motivation (a desire to exercise, or the fear of an axe-wielding maniac).

While the motivation may be hidden for a time (in order to increase curiosity) it cannot stay so. The motivation of the action must be clear, revealed in sound and dialog, to be satisfying.At a more basic level, motivation relates to desire. Characters never initiate action without wanting… something. Even when coerced there is desire (to get out from under the coercion).

The characters desire/motivation is revealed in what they choose to do or avoid and in their decisions.

When characters face choices, anticipate, consider, weigh up, and explore the potential consequences of those choices, and then settle upon an action, thought is further revealed.

Fourth comes diction– the way voices are differentiated and the idiosyncratic ways that characters speak. Does the character speak slowly and thoughtfully, using big words? Does the character drop the “h”? Does the character mispronounce words, or utilize an accent? Is there a rhythm to the words, or are the words abrasive and jarring?

Aristotle also discusses, fifthly, song. The lyrics, rhythms, and melody of Gilbert and Sullivan spring readily to mind (although the art of the musical is somewhat foreign to a non-musician like myself). Song is something that Aristotle sees as an embellishment of the dialog.

With that understanding we turn to our final element; spectacle. On the stage this consists of costuming, props, and set. In film this is expanded to include CGI and special effects. But in audio-drama, the “spectacle” is created by sound effects and music. The sound effects support and illustrate the action of the story, creating the pictures in our minds that help to sell the reality of the story world to us, while music underscores and emphasizes the emotion and tone of the story. But both, in combination with the dialog, can bring the world of the play to life.

Aristotle makes the spectacle least important in his list on the grounds that, were it left out, a good play could still be enjoyed on the basis of the dialog alone. While sound is essential to a sound-only production such as the BBC’s “Revenge”, it is certainly the exception rather than the rule. As a life-long reader of plays (both for entertainment and as a means of self-education regarding the art of play-writing) generally speaking a play doesn’t “need” the embellishments (except at points and to achieve certain effects). However, the embellishments of sound and music can and do significantly increase the immersion generated by the story and, in many cases, could not be removed without doing violence to the whole.

POETICS BOOK VII

The PlotThere are times when reading Aristotle’s Poetics that I find myself wanting to scream. He often goes into frustrating detail about more obvious matters, while providing very little detail on the more complex topics that I find harder to understand. In book vii, he labors over the seemingly obvious, but there is value here nonetheless.He reminds us of his definition (again) that drama is “an imitation that is complete and whole and of a certain magnitude” before going on to define what that completeness is.

A drama has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning starts at the last possible initial and essential moment (a moment that nothing essential can come before). The ending occurs at the last possible final and essential moment (a moment that nothing essential can follow after). And the middle is made up of those essential moments that come between the beginning and end.

Obvious, right?

But it is the essential nature of the parts that are significant to Aristotle. A story doesn’t begin just anywhere. It begins with an event that initiates the action and leads irrevocably through a chain of events to a conclusion. These events are selected by the writer and NONE of them can be purposeless, random, or unnecessary if the writing is to be successful.

Artistotle goes on to point out that a dramatic work of art must be comprehensible (that it must make sense). If it is too short, a beginning only, it will not satisfy. If it is too long (so that, either because of its complexity or duration, its parts and their working together cannot be discovered by the viewer/listener) it also fails to satisfy.

Here he is concerned with both duration and completeness. A play may be long or short, but it must be complete and, in being complete, it must not be stuffed with anything un-necessary.

Finally, he makes the point that a plot must be concerned with change. He takes as his primary examples a change from “good fortune to bad” or “bad fortune to good”.

For Aristotle, a story cannot be good where the status quo does not alter.In terms of how this applies to audio-drama, the following can be stated;

An audio drama (of whatever length) whether an episode in a series or a feature length story must describe a change in the circumstances of a character (or characters) from its beginning to its end in as economical, yet essentially complete, a manner as possible.

POETICS BOOK VIII

The Unity of the Plot

Unity is an essential feature of a story. Sometimes a writer makes the mistake of thinking that a story is unified because it deals with a single subject or character, but, as Aristotle points out, a life is not a plot. The fact that I was born, lived in a home with my parents, went to school, worked in a series of jobs, married, and had a family does not make these events a unified plot simply because they are about me.

A plot is formed by the selection of events around a particular character goal/desire and restricts itself to only those events relevant to the complete telling of that tale. The Odyssey by Homer, for example, carefully selects from the life of Odysseus only those events relevant to his home-coming.

A successful plot is dependent on the skill of the writer at selecting those events that contribute to the whole in an essential way. Recounting what the protagonist ate for breakfast is not essential to a story where the protagonist’s goal is to rescue his kidnapped son, for example.

The test of the unity of a story consists of ensuring that no element of a story can be removed or added without significantly changing or distorting the whole. A whole must be understood in relation to its parts and its parts in relation to the whole. Anything that cannot contribute to the unity of the story must be excluded.

POETICS BOOK IX

Plot vs. History

Just as a life is not a story, neither is history, in and of itself. Recording events as they happened, in sequence does not result in a plot. Stories involve invention. They are about what might be, or what might have been, more than they are about what actually was. And, unlike history, which concerns itself (at least according to Aristotle), with producing a comprehensive record of events, drama aims, more philosophically, at communicating ideas. In this, I suspect Aristotle is groping towards the notion of “theme”.

Rather than being a mere chronological sequencing of events, a story is about something. And in Artistotle’s Greece, where drama primarily served a civic function (teaching and promoting civic duty) it is not hard to see why Aristotle felt this way.

But as a general principle, beyond the culture of Greece, this has a lot of merit. Stories aren’t merely collections of events from a life or history. They are, in fact about something; about coping with change, about love, or revenge, or grief, or achievement, etc. They are, to paraphrase Aristotle, about universal experiences that we all can relate to (or they are if they are any good).The value of history, as a source of story, lies in its plausibility. The story based on history is believable because its events have in fact happened in the real world. However, Aristotle is at pains to point out that we are not restricted to “historical” stories. All stories, even the historical ones, must be fictionalized to a degree (through selection and invention) so that they can express their message. History lends a sense of reality to stories, but wild flights of fiction can be plausible so long as each event is linked to each by a clear chain of cause and effect.

That which Aristotle calls the episodic story is to be avoided. A story that is merely a series of events in sequence. The “and then” story – “I got up and then I went outside and then I caught a rabbit and then I ate it and then I looked at the sky and then I noticed a storm gathering” – is ultimately unsatisfying.

For Aristotle, the satisfaction and believability of a story is tied up with it being motivated effectively. Eg. “Cold and hungry, I left the cave and caught a rabbit for breakfast. The wind was picking up, so I scanned the sky and noted the gathering clouds. Storms in the mountains could be dangerous, so I would need to seek shelter.”

The inclusion of motivational links takes the “episodes” related earlier and makes them plausible and part of a unified whole. This story is one of survival against the elements. It is about something.

Here, Aristotle makes an aside that speaks directly to our present. Good writers will, from time to time, include unmotivated episodic material at the behest of (and to placate) their actors, or studio, or investors. Bad writers do it because they can’t do otherwise.

But what of surprises and twists? According to Aristotle, an action does not have to be predictable to be motivated. In fact, the best actions are surprising when they occur – however, when we look back at them they must appear to have been inevitable (that is, we must be able to see the antecedent causes and motivations that led inevitably to them).

It may be a shocking surprise that the mild mannered wife takes an axe to her husband in the second act, but given his dismissive and insulting behavior, when we look back over their interactions, it should appear thoroughly motivated and plausible.

Next time, we’ll examine Aristotle’s break-down of the key elements of a plot.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2021 .

The post Learning from Aristotle – The Poetics of Aristotle Applied to Audio Drama – Part 2 appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Below you can read the story of Rapunzel as told by the Brothers Grimm.  This is the story we have selected to adapt into an Audio Drama.  Following that, this article takes you step by step through the process of generating the script outline from overall plot arc, through character arcs, to final scene breakdown.  Over the following few weeks we will be posting the final script result along with the writer’s notes on the creative and technical decisions that led to the completion of each scene.

Grimm’s Story

Basic Plot Adaptation

Character Arcs

Integrated Plot Outline

Scene Breakdown

Rapunzel

By the Brothers Grimm

There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.

One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion – rapunzel, and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it, and had the greatest desire to eat some. This desire increased every day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable. Then her husband was alarmed, and asked, what ails you, dear wife. Ah, she replied, if I can’t eat some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die.

The man, who loved her, thought, sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it will. At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her – so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the garden. In the gloom of evening, therefore, he let himself down again. But when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him.

How can you dare, said she with angry look, descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief. You shall suffer for it. Ah, answered he, let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the window, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat. Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened, and said to him, if the case be as you say, I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will, only I make one condition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world. It shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother.

The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the name of rapunzel, and took it away with her. Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was a little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it and cried, rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair to me.

Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it. After a year or two, it came to pass that the king’s son rode through the forest and passed by the tower.

Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king’s son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it.

Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried, rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair. Then rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed up to her. If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I too will try my fortune, said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and cried, rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair. Immediately the hair fell down and the king’s son climbed up.

At first rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her. But the king’s son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought, he will love me more than old dame gothel does. And she said yes, and laid her hand in his. She said, I will willingly go away with you, but I do not know how to get down.

Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse. They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day. The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once rapunzel said to her, tell me, dame gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king’s son – he is with me in a moment. Ah.

You wicked child, cried the enchantress. What do I hear you say. I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me. In her anger she clutched rapunzel’s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery.

On the same day that she cast out rapunzel, however, the enchantress fastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king’s son came and cried, rapunzel, rapunzel, let down your hair, she let the hair down. The king’s son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. Aha, she cried mockingly, you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest. The cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well.

Rapunzel is lost to you. You will never see her again. The king’s son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness.

He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented.

–The End–

Plot

First, let’s talk about the plot arc (and be sure you read the Grimm version above before going any further if you haven’t already).

For me a plot outline is the beginning of the story writing process. I like the structure provided by a three act plan so I tend to create the events of my stories around that structure.

In adapting a fairytale I first take the events of the tale itself and fit them into the structure. I would consider it a rare thing if any story considered for adaptation automatically fitted completely into a standard three act structure, but I would also be surprised if the events in the story didn’t also naturally cover a good number of those elements even if there are some significant gaps remaining.

Next I fill in the gaps that are identified and the give the story some missing events. This comes together in the outline (see below).

You’ll note that this initial outline is mostly followed in the final work, but, as the writing process progresses, changes are always introduced.

In the case of adapting Rapunzel, a large section of the story occurs before she is born, then there is a large gap in time, and the story picks up again when she is of marriageable age. With regard to the resolution of the story (in the original text as recorded by the B rothers Grimm) we jump from the reversal (where she is exiled from her tower and her prince is blinded) to the happy ending with some elided time spent in misery wandering about separated from her prince.

I decided I would make her parents’ story (specifically her father’s story) the focus up to the point of no return, before focusing on Rapunzel herself, and add a final confrontation with the witch after the reversal that would make the story (hopefully) more satisfying as a drama. I decided to drop the pregnancy and twins from the story as it added another gap of time before the story came to an end that I didn’t really want to bridge.

Below is the plot outline as I first conceived it.

In general, it is the story of Rapunzel’s separation and reconciliation with her father. The outline will allow you to track the increase in obstacles fom her kidnapping, pursuit, and the reversal in which her prince is blinded and she herself is exiled, right through the final confrontation with the witch and her return to her aging father.

3 Act Plot Adaptation

Characters

Once the plot has been outlined, I take a good look at the characters.

I pick out the main characters (protagonists and antagonists) that I want the audience to care about. Each of these characters will be given their own character arc.

I do not always give my characters an arc. In an adventure serial, for example, there is less need to show character change and growth over time. However, in a single story, or a serialised single story, the presence of character arcs allows for significantly greater drama.

In the case of Rapunzel I have chosen to focus on four characters in particular; Gustav (Rapunzel’s father), Esmerelda (the witch), Franz (the prince), and Rapunzel herself (our titular character).

Each of these characters is going to go through a significant change as they pass through the events of the story. To this end I give each character a flaw, motivation to change, challenges, and a crisis through which the change is successfully negotiated or fails to be achieved.

I decided to make Gustav an easily swayed man (the kind who would get himself entangled in a bad deal with a witch) and, in the crucible of the kidnapping of his daughter, find the will to make a costly stand for something.

The witch is challenged to love unselfishly by raising Rapunzel. In the end she fails.

Rapunzel is challenged to take charge of her own life rather than be ruled by her foster mother (the witch).

Prince Franz is challenged to leave his irresponsibility behind and step up to meet his duties.

Each of these arcs provide the story with plenty of opportunities for dramatic conflict.

Below are the character arcs as I first conceived them.

Character Arcs

Integration

The next to last thing I do before I begin the task of writing is to integrate the character arcs and overall plot structure together, identifying the scenes and the characters to appear in each.

This is all integrated into a final plot outline (below).

Integrated Plotline

Act 1

Inciting incident

Scene 1 – The cottage where the man (Gustav) and his pregnant wife (Geltrude) live

The land has been struck by a famine.

Gustav (a man who is easily swayed) has a cottage in the woods and a pregnant wife and is worried. A friend has dropped by to deliver him some fish in exchange for some venison.

Demonstration of existing character (GUSTAV)

Gustav’s wife says a merchant in town is suggesting the famine will break soon and no emergency measures need be taken by the King. Gustav agrees. The fisherman says the game is dying off and the streams are drying up and the King will need to take action. Gustav agrees again.

Call to change (GUSTAV)

The visitor tells Gustav he needs to grow a spine and leaves.

Gustav’s wife refers to the vegetable garden in the enchantress’ home next door, comments on how it appears to be flourishing despite the famine, and begs him to sneak in a steal her some salad to go with the fish.

Initial obstacle

Scene 2 – The grounds of the witch’s home

The vegetables belong to the witch and Gustav must scale her fence and face her guardians to obtain them.

He fights some of her living statues in order to reach the garden but one leg is badly wounded in the process.

Act 2

Raising the stakes

Scene 3 – The witch’s garden

With one leg crippled from his encounters the man is caught by the witch who is furious.
The man can’t understand why she doesn’t help her neighbours when times are so tough.

Demonstration of existing character (THE WITCH)

The witch is unaffected/   indifferent to the famine and the plight of her neighbours because of her enchanted garden. She is not evil so much as uncaring and selfish… though she doesn’t see herself this way.   She is out for what she can get and Gustav has committed a crime so she does not feel merciful and feels she has an excuse to be cruel.

Call to change (THE WITCH)

The witch is asked to be merciful by Gustav.

Resistance (THE WITCH)

She is briefly tempted but then cruelly presents a selfish deal very much in her favour.

The Witch demands his soon to be born child in payment for the vegetables.

Resistance (GUSTAV)
He wants to stand up to her but, in the end, terror wins and Gustav gives in to the witch’s demands.

Point of no return

Scene 4 & 5 – The Cottage again

Commitment (GUSTAV)

Gustav, filled with remorse, then tries to protect his home from the witch, reading books and buying fake witch-repellent from a charlatan.

A baby girl is born and despite Gustav’s best efforts to protect her, the witch appears and demands the child.

The witch sees the child and falls in love. The witch promises to make her into a healer and persists in taking her away.

Scene 6 – The Graveyard

Gustav’s wife dies of grief and is buried in the local graveyard.

Gustav swears on her grave that he will demand the aid of the King in recovering his daughter and won’t take no for an answer.

Rising tension

Scene 7-10 – The Castle

Testing of commitment (GUSTAV)

Gustav seeks an audience with the King. The Queen has just given birth to an heir to the throne. Everyone tells him they are too busy to listen to his concerns.   He is put off again and again but does not give up.

At last Gustav appears before the aging King and explains what has happened. He begs the King’s aid in recovering his daughter from the madwoman next door.

The King is incensed at the story and swears a binding oath that he will see the child restored.

Scene 11 -The witch’s home

When the King comes with his men to arrest the witch and return the child they find the home abandoned.   The witch has vanished.

For years the King sends forth his men to find the missing girl but to no avail.

Scene 12 – The King’s deathbed

Demonstrated change of character (GUSTAV)

Gustav refuses to release the King from his promise even under threats.

The King dies and the bells ring out.
The quest to find Gustav’s daughter falls upon the King’s responsibility-shirking son.
When the bells ring out, everyone wonders where the King’s son is to be found.

Scene 13-14 – The forest

Demonstration of existing character (PRINCE FRANZ)

The prince is ducking his responsibilities in the forest and grumping about them with a chum. He doesn’t want his father’s responsibilities or the burden of fulfilling his father’s over-hasty promises (of which the promise to Gustav is uppermost).

Call to change (PRINCE FRANZ)

A boy cries for aid, and rather than have his day spoiled, the prince and his friend hide.

Resistance (PRINCE FRANZ)

Returning through the forest he discovers a woman weeping. Her son has gone missing. Many children are disappearing in the woods. He feels remorse for ignoring the cry for help and makes to go back, but then hears the bells announcing his father’s death. He makes excuses to himself about why he doesn’t investigate and hurries back to the castle.

The woman is left crying “but where is my son”.

Scene 15 – The Tower

Commitment (THE WITCH)

The witch raises the stolen child and (out of selfishness) hides her away in a tower so no one else can enjoy her company. Despite her selfishness she tries to do things to please the girl.

Demonstration of existing character (RAPUNZEL)

When we meet her in the tower, Rapunzel, spoiled, self-centered, and giving little thought to others is talking to herself. She is grumping about being stuck in a tower all day with no-one to talk to but the statues in her garden. She expresses her happiness that “mother” is bringing her a new statue today.

Call to change (RAPUNZEL)

A terrified boy bursts into view.   Panting, he begs Rapunzel to please hide him.

She’s incensed that he has intruded on her quiet afternoon of day-dreaming and refuses to help.

The witch swoops in to the isolated location in the forest where the tower is located. She is pursuing a fleeing boy. She discovers he has spoken to Rapunzel and turns him to stone on the spot – a new gift for her “daughter’s” garden.

The witch demands Rapunzel let down her hair so that she might enter the tower and talk with her.

Resistance (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel doesn’t want to believe the worst of the woman who raised her. She tries to make excuses about how the boy must have deserved it. The witch admits all the statues were once children. Rapunzel seems distracted and not nearly as willing to dote upon the witch as usual so the witch leaves. Rapunzel is very suspicious.

Scene 16 – The Forest

Time passes and once more we find The Prince in the forest, pretending to fulfil his father’s vow to Gustav, but actually goofing off and boasting about it to his friends. They discuss the recent disappearances of children in the region but Gustav treats the issue as something he can do nothing about. After all, he is already looking for one missing child, a comment that never fails to get a laugh.

A servant hurries into the forest and informs Prince Franz that his sister did not return from her previous evening’s outing into the forest. The castle is up in arms.

Commitment (PRINCE FRANZ)

Franz consumed by the news that his sister has disappeared sets out to find her, all thought of further goofing off driven from him by the news.

Scene 17 – The Tower (ext)

The Prince, searching for his sister, finds Rapunzel’s tower and the statue of his sister. Rapunzel reveals what has been happening and that she is a prisoner. He falls in love at first sight and begs her aid in finding out how to reverse the spell. She agrees.

When she hears the approach of her mother she sends him away to hide. He promises to return the following night to set her free.

The witch arrives and climbs the tower for a visit.

Scene 18 – The Tower (int)

Rapunzel tries to wheedle the cure for the statues from her mother. The witch gets more and more suspicious. When Rapunzel says she is just concerned that her mother might be caught for petrifying a member of the royal family, the Witch demands to know how she would know anyone from the Royal family. She owns up to talking with the Prince and the witch full of fury gags her and chains her to the wall, cutting off her locks.

Reversal

Scene 19 – The Tower (int)

Testing of commitment (PRINCE FRANZ)

The prince decides that he must rescue Rapunzel and find a means of rescuing his sister. He sets his mind on approaching the tower the following night.

When the prince returns, the witch impersonates Rapunzel, letting down the cut off hair to him. When he arrives at the top of the tower she takes him prisoner. The witch removes Rapunzel’s gag and suggests he will make a nice addition to the garden.

Rapunzel is horrified and lets slip that she loves the prince.

Testing of commitment (THE WITCH)

The witch, on discovering Rapunzel is in love feels betrayed and is filled with jealous rage. She decides to punish Rapunzel properly and blinds the Prince with her dagger. She taunts him by saying she could restore his eyes and provide a cure for the statues, but that it is hidden in her fortress in the mountains.

Commitment (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel now sees the truth regarding her mother, defies her, and rejects her utterly.

The witch destroys the tower, casting the girl out into the world, and retreating to her mountain fortress with the imprisoned Franz, there to spend her days tormenting the prince she has taken prisoner.

Act 3

Final Confrontation

Scene 20 – The mountains

Testing of commitment (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel climbs the mountain, enduring hardship to locate the witch’s fortress.

Scene 21 – The Fortress

Rapunzel enters the witch’s fortress and makes her way to the dungeon hoping to rescue the prince. There she encounters the witch.

The witch gives her an ultimatum.   She intends to kill the Prince and all the people in the Kingdom with a plague. She can save the Prince and return to the witch to resume their relationship as mother and daughter or she can die here and now and she will spare the Prince and the Kingdom.

Demonstration of changed character (PRINCE FRANZ)

Though blinded he pleads to be killed in place of Rapunzel and his people.

Demonstration of changed character (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel chooses to accept death.

Rapunzel’s continued defiance break’s the spirit of the witch.

Demonstration of changed character (THE WITCH)

The witch kills herself, blaming Rapunzel for the tragedy. With her dying breath she announces that compassion is rewarded only with pain and dies.

Rapunzel locates her mother’s potion collection, tends the prince’s eyes and restores his sight. She also finds the remedy to the statue spell.

Denouement

Scene 22 – The Tower

The couple return to the site of the tower and Rapunzel uses the potion from the castle to restore the statues to life.

Scene 23 – The cottage

Rapunzel is reunited with her father.   The prince asks for her hand in marriage and they all leave to enjoy their happily ever after.

Scene Breakdown

Once I have my plot outline complete (and all the character arc events integrated into it) I do a scene by scene breakdown of the story.

The idea, here, is to identify the central conflict in each scene. All drama maintains its interest through conflict. If a scene doesn’t have a nice strong conflict at its heart then it is failing to pull its weight in the story.

Once this is done, I am ready to begin the task of writing the script.

Below is my initial scene breakdown for Rapunzel based on the outline above.

Plot outline and Scene Breakdown

Act 1

Inciting incident

Scene 1 – The cottage where Gustav and his pregnant wife Gertrude live (int) Day
GUSTAV (the hunter), GERTRUDE (his pregnant wife), HANS (the fisherman)

The land has been struck by food shortages.

Gustav (a hunter and a man who is easily swayed by others) has a cottage in the woods and a pregnant wife and is worried by the food shortages. A friend has dropped by to deliver him some fish in exchange for some venison he caught.   Gustav serves up some salad to his visitor to go with the meat and they shoot the breeze.

Demonstration of existing character (GUSTAV)

Gustav’s wife says a merchant in town is suggesting the shortages will end soon and no emergency measures need be taken by the King. Gustav agrees. The fisherman says the game is dying off and the streams are drying up and the King will need to take action. Gustav agrees again.

His wife comments on how weak willed he is. Changing the subject, she mentions how much she is looking forward to eating her salad with the fish. She refers to the vegetable garden in the enchantress’ home next door, comments on how it appears to be flourishing despite the blight that has struck so many others.

Gustav realises that he has given his guest his wife’s salad and panics. The remains in the pantry are worm riddled and unedible.

Call to change (GUSTAV)

Gustav talks over his options with the visitor. The visitor tells him he needs to grow a spine and leaves.

Gustav decides to try his luck next door.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Initial obstacle (ext) Night
GUSTAV, LIVING STATUES

Scene 2 – The grounds of the witch’s home

The vegetables belong to an enchantress and Gustav must scale her fence and face the living statues that guard her property in order to obtain them.

He fights some of her living statues in order to reach the garden but one leg is badly wounded.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Crippled and unsure of how to make his escape, he decides to collect some of the vegetables at hand while he thinks things through.

Act 2

Raising the stakes

Scene 3 – The witch’s garden (ext) Night
GUSTAV, THE WITCH

With one leg crippled from his encounters Gustav is caught, vegetables in hand, by the witch who is furious. Gustav can’t understand why she doesn’t help her neighbours when times are so tough.

Demonstration of existing character (THE WITCH)

Even though the rest of the land suffers under food shortages, the witch is unaffected/ indifferent because of her enchanted garden. She is not evil so much as uncaring and selfish… though she doesn’t see herself this way. She is out for what she can get and Gustav has committed a crime, so she does not feel merciful and feels she has an excuse to be cruel.

Call to change (THE WITCH)

Gustav begs the witch to be merciful.

Resistance (THE WITCH)

She is briefly tempted but then cruelly presents a selfish deal very much in her favour.

She demands his soon to be born child in payment for the vegies.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Resistance (GUSTAV)
He wants to stand up to her but, in the end, terror wins and Gustav gives in to the witch’s demands.

Scene 4 & 5 – The Cottage again (int) Day
GUSTAV, CHARLATAN, GERTRUDE, BABY, WITCH

Commitment (GUSTAV)

Gustav, filled with remorse, then tries to protect his home from the witch, reading books and buying fake witch-repellent from a charlatan.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

A baby girl is born (named Rapunzel and given a family token) and despite Gustav’s best efforts to protect her, the witch appears and demands the child.

When he attempts to refuse and attacks the witch, the witch freezes him and his wife in place.

The witch sees the child and falls in love. The witch chooses not to murder the family, promises to make baby into a healer and persists in taking her away.

Scene 6 – The Graveyard (ext) Day
PRIEST, GUSTAV, HANS, THE WITCH

Gustav’s wife dies of grief and is buried in the local graveyard. His friend (Hans) tries to comfort him and then leaves him.

The witch appears and offers to marry him.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Gustav rejects the witch and swears on his wife’s grave that he will demand the aid of the King in recovering his daughter and won’t take no for an answer.

Scene 7,8,9 – The Castle Bureacracy (int) Day
GUSTAVE, OFFICIAL, GUARD

Testing of commitment (GUSTAV)

Gustav seeks an audience with the King. The Queen has just given birth to an heir to the throne. Everyone tells him they are too busy to listen to his concerns. He is put off again and again but does not give up.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Scene 10 – The Castle (int) Night
GUSTAV, GUARDS, KING

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

At last Gustav appears before the aging King and explains what has happened. He begs the King’s aid in recovering his daughter from the madwoman next door.

The King is incensed at the story and swears a binding oath that he will see the child restored.

Scene 11 -The witch’s home (ext) Day.
GUSTAV, THE KING, THE KINGS MEN

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

When the King comes with his men to arrest the witch and return the child they find the home abandoned. The witch has vanished.

For years the King sends forth his men to find the missing girl but to no avail.

Point of no return
Scene 12 – The King’s deathbed (int) Day
GUSTAV, THE KING, THE QUEEN, ATTENDANTS

For 18 years the King searches for the missing girl. At last frail, dying, and, more importantly unsuccessful, he calls Gustav to his bedside and begs to be released from his oath.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – GUSTAV)

Demonstrated change of character (GUSTAV)

Gustav refuses to release the King from his promise even under threats.

The King places the quest on his son’s shoulders, dies and the bells ring out.

Everyone wonders where the King’s son is to be found.

Rising Tension
Scene 13-14 – The forest (ext) Day
PRINCE FRANZ, HERMANN, THE BOY, THE BOY’S MOTHER.

Demonstration of existing character (PRINCE FRANZ)

The prince is ducking his responsibilities in the forest and grumping about them with a chum. He doesn’t want his father’s responsibilities or the burden of fulfilling his father’s over-hasty promises (of which the promise to Gustav is uppermost).

Call to change (PRINCE FRANZ)

A boy cries for aid, and rather than have his day spoiled, the prince and his friend hides.

Resistance (PRINCE FRANZ)

Returning through the forest he discovers a woman weeping. Her son has gone missing. Many children are disappearing in the woods. He feels remorse for ignoring the cry for help and makes to go back, but then hears the bells. He makes excuses to himself about why he didn’t investigate and hurries back to the castle.

The woman is left crying “but where is my son”.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – PRINCE FRANZ)

Scene 15-16 – The Tower (ext) Day
RAPUNZEL, THE BOY, THE WITCH

Commitment (THE WITCH)

The Witch has raised the stolen child and (out of selfishness) has hidden her away in a tower so no one else can enjoy her company. Despite her selfishness she tries to do things to please the girl in her own warped way.

Demonstration of existing character (RAPUNZEL)

When we meet her in the tower, Rapunzel, spoiled, self-centered, and giving little thought to others is talking to herself. She is grumping about being stuck in a tower all day with no-one to talk to but the statues in her garden. She expresses her happiness that “mother” is bringing her a new statue today.

Call to change (RAPUNZEL)

A terrified boy bursts into view. Panting he begs Rapunzel to please hide him.

She’s incensed that he has intruded on her quiet afternoon of day-dreaming and refuses to help.

The witch swoops in to the isolated location in the forest where the tower is located. She is pursuing a fleeing boy. She discovers he has spoken to Rapunzel and turns him to stone on the spot – a new gift for her “daughter’s” garden.

The witch demands Rapunzel let down her hair so that she might enter the tower and talk with her.

Resistance (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel doesn’t want to believe the worst of the woman who raised her. She tries to make excuses about how the boy must have deserved it. The Witch lets her but doesn’t help matters much when she admits all the statues were once children.

When Rapunzel seems distracted and not nearly as willing to dote upon the witch as usual, the witch leaves in a huff.

Rapunzel is left feeling very suspicious for the first time in her life.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

Scene 17 – The Forest (ext) Day
PRINCE FRANZ, HERMANN, THE SERVANT

Time passes and once more we find The Prince in the forest, pretending to fulfil his father’s vow to Gustav, but actually goofing off and boasting about it to his friends. They discuss the recent disappearances of children in the region but the Prince treats the issue as something he can do nothing about. After all, he is already looking for one missing child, a comment that never fails to get a laugh.

A servant hurries into the forest and informs Prince Franz that his sister did not return from her previous evening’s outing into the forest. The castle is up in arms.

Commitment (PRINCE FRANZ)

Franz consumed by the news that his sister has disappeared sends his friends to get help and sets out to find her himself, all thought of further goofing off driven from him by the news.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – PRINCE FRANZ)

Scene 18-19 – The Tower (ext) Day
PRINCE FRANZ, RAPUNZEL, THE WITCH

The prince, searching for his sister (loses her tracks but hears distant singing), finds Rapunzel’s tower and the statue of his sister. Rapunzel reveals what has been happening and that she is a prisoner. He falls in love at first sight.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – PRINCE FRANZ)

After some thought he begs her aid in finding out how to reverse the spell. She agrees.

When she hears the approach of her mother she sends him away to hide. He promises to return the following night to set her free.

The witch arrives and climbs the tower for a visit.

Scene 20 – The Tower (int) Day
RAPUNZEL, THE WITCH

Rapunzel tries to wheedle the cure for the statues from her mother. The witch gets more and more suspicious. When Rapunzel says she is just concerned that her mother might be caught for petrifying a member of the royal family, the Witch demands to know how she would know anyone from the Royal family. She owns up to talking with the Prince.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

Suddenly, the witch full of fury gags her and chains her to the wall, cutting off her locks.

Reversal

Scene 21 – The Tower (int) Night
THE PRINCE, RAPUNZEL, THE WITCH

Testing of commitment (PRINCE FRANZ)

The prince decides that he must rescue Rapunzel and find a means of rescuing his sister. He sets his mind on approaching the tower the following night.

When the prince returns, the witch impersonates Rapunzel, letting down the cut off hair to him. When he arrives at the top of the tower she takes him prisoner. The witch removes Rapunzel’s gag and suggests he will make a nice addition to the garden.

Rapunzel is horrified and lets slip that she loves the prince.

Testing of commitment (THE WITCH)

The witch, on discovering Rapunzel is in love feels betrayed and is filled with jealous rage. She decides to punish Rapunzel properly and blinds the Prince with her dagger. She taunts him with the knowledge that she could restore his eyes and provide a cure for the statues, but that it is stored in her fortress in the mountains where she will keep it under lock and key forever.

Commitment (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel now sees the truth regarding her mother, defies her, and rejects her utterly.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

The witch destroys the tower, casting the girl out into the world, and retreating to her mountain fortress with the imprisoned Franz, there to spend her days tormenting the prince she has taken prisoner.

Act 3

Final Confrontation

Scene 22 – 25 – The mountains (ext) Day
RAPUNZEL

Testing of commitment (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel climbs the mountain, enduring hardship to locate the witch’s fortress.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

Scene 26 – 29 – The Fortress (int) Night
RAPUNZEL, THE WITCH, PRINCE FRANZ

Rapunzel enters the witch’s fortress and makes her way to the dungeon hoping to rescue the prince. There she encounters the witch.

The witch gives her an ultimatum. She intends to kill the Prince and all the people in the Kingdom with a plague. She can save the Prince and return to the witch to resume their relationship as mother and daughter or she can die here and now and she will spare the Prince and the Kingdom.

Demonstration of changed character (PRINCE FRANZ)

Though blinded he pleads to be killed in place of Rapunzel and his people.

Demonstration of changed character (RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel chooses to accept death.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

Rapunzel’s continued defiance break’s the spirit of the witch.

Demonstration of changed character (THE WITCH)

The witch kills herself, blaming Rapunzel for the tragedy. With her dying breath she announces that compassion is rewarded only with pain and dies.

Rapunzel locates her mother’s potion collection, tends the prince’s eyes and restores his sight. She also finds the remedy to the statue spell.

Denouement

Scene 30 – The Ruins of the Tower (ext) Day
RAPUNZEL, PRINCE FRANZ, CHILDREN

The couple return to the site of the tower and Rapunzel uses the potion from the castle to restore the statues to life.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

Scene 31 – The cottage (int) Day
RAPUNZEL, PRINCE FRANZ, GUSTAV, THE CHILDREN

Rapunzel is reunited with her father. The prince asks for her hand in marriage.

Central conflict of scene (POV Character – RAPUNZEL)

The couple (and extended family) leave to enjoy their happily ever after.

The content of this lesson is copyright © 2015 Weirdworldstudios.com

Lessons

• Lesson 1 : The Science Behind Radio
• Lesson 2 : The History of Commercial Radio
• Lesson 3 : Appreciating Radio Drama
• Lesson 4 : Reading Radio Drama Scripts
• Lesson 5 : Performing Radio Drama
• Lesson 6 : Scripting Radio Drama

Worked Example (Radio Adaptation of Rapunzel)

• Appendix : Writer’s Notes on Adapting Rapunzel for Radio
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 1, Gustav the Hunter
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 2, Kidnapping
• Example Radio Play (with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 3, Desperate Measures
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 5, Fateful Meeting
• Example Radio Play with writer’s notes) : Rapunzel for Schools Episode 6, Just Desserts

The post Writer’s notes on adapting Rapunzel – Audio Drama for Schools (Appendix) appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.