Characters in Action
We learn a great deal about the characters in a play by closely observing their actions. How do they behave in different situations? How do they differ from one another in their behaviour when sharing the same situation? How is their action made logical by what we know of their thoughts and motives? How does this action translate into the theme?
There are countless questions which can be asked about the characters in action. By answering as many of them as possible we attempt to analyse the characters in terms of their action. We ask, primarily, why a character does what he does and conclude that it must be because he is a certain kind of person. It's part of Higgins' character to insult Eliza because he feels superior to her; it is part of Eliza's character to be prone to abrupt outbursts because she is sassy and un-lady like.
In other words characters usually do things for certain reasons. We do not always discuss their motivation, because they complete acts which are almost totally unmotivated and are therefore to be explained in some other way; namely, in terms of what is fundamental about them.
We learn a great deal about the characters in a play by closely observing their actions. How do they behave in different situations? How do they differ from one another in their behaviour when sharing the same situation? How is their action made logical by what we know of their thoughts and motives? How does this action translate into the theme?
There are countless questions which can be asked about the characters in action. By answering as many of them as possible we attempt to analyse the characters in terms of their action. We ask, primarily, why a character does what he does and conclude that it must be because he is a certain kind of person. It's part of Higgins' character to insult Eliza because he feels superior to her; it is part of Eliza's character to be prone to abrupt outbursts because she is sassy and un-lady like.
In other words characters usually do things for certain reasons. We do not always discuss their motivation, because they complete acts which are almost totally unmotivated and are therefore to be explained in some other way; namely, in terms of what is fundamental about them.