This Five page paper is similar to writing a research paper on a historical figure. However the primary resource for this paper is the play in which the character appears. Choose a character from the script (the plays “Collaborators” or “Martyr”). Using that character’s voice, write a biography about another major character in the play (for example, Stalin could write about Bulgakov). Read the script carefully to understand who the characters are and how they feel about the action or conflicts of the play. The focus of the paper must be a creative but textually consistent mediation on the character’s past, how the character feels about other characters in the play, what the character thinks of social issues, politics, religion, etc. The paper can also consider what the character might do after the events of the play are over. In other words, writers will need to demonstrate in the paper a detailed understanding of the character and their significance in the play. Note: the paper needs to be a narrative, NOT AN OUTLINE.
The paper should consider the following:
Given Circumstances
Character’s full name
Age and birthday
Hometown (Description)
Information about other people important to the character
Information listed above.
Detailed physical description
How do people respond to the character?
What does the character think about the other people?
Information about Location(s) in which the play takes place
What time does the action take place? (Day, Year, Hour)
Describe the location in Detail. What does the room look like? Is the region or larger community important?
What is the temperature/weather and how does this affect your character’s state of mind?
Describe the political or social climate of the day.
**Pre-existing Conflicts VERY IMPORTANT
What occurs directly before the play starts? How have emotional and physical events shaped the scene? What are the pre-existing conditions? (i.e. where is the character coming from?)
Specifically define the obstacles that the character faces (i.e. relationships with others, personal background, environmental.)
Explore the character’s emotional reaches and how they have responded to their situations.
Psychological Outlook of the Character (Worldview)
How do others view the character?
How does the character view herself/himself?
List things that interest or concern the character. What scares/amuses the character? What might she/he dream about?
How does the character spend her/his free time? \ Investigate class function and responsibility within the historic time frame.