Analysis of Deathtrap

Analysis of Deathtrap

Plot- Dramatic Structure

Characters

Sidney- a struggling playwright whom is married to Myra

Myra- Sidney’s wife

Clifford- a playwright that attends a conference Sidney holds

Helga- neighbor to Myra and Sidney, psychic

Plot

The characters are trying to figure out a way to obtain the rights to a play and resort to conspiring and ultimately killing one another.

- Exposition: the meaning or purpose in the play would have to be understanding the plot

- Foreshadowing: indications of what will happen next is how Helga tells the other characters that she feels bad things about the house

- Complications: the complex elements are where the characters fight

- Crisis: the decisive movement would be the murders that arise from the complications

- Climax: the highest point is the crisis of Sidney and Clifford killing one another

- Reversal: the change of pace in the play and the characters in the second act

- Discovery: when I realized that Sidney and Clifford are the conspirers

- Resolution: nothing was solved other than Helga now wants the play for herself

Central Conflict:

The play was centered on greed and deception. All of the characters wanted the play for their own they figured out ways to get it, even killing was an option.

Thought

I believe that the playwright’s central concern was to keep the audience wanting more. At first Sidney wants to kill Clifford so he does. Second Myra is killed, and then Clifford is truly killed but not before Clifford can kill Sidney. The plot was gradually revealed as the play progressed. As the characters move through the play our feeling gradually change about then. The explanation of the set was a great way to leave me wanting more. I wondered why all the elaboration was needed.

Theme Statement: This is the story of a starving playwright whom is so desperate he conspires to write the ultimate thriller only to end up dying because he was greedy.

Character

Helga- I consider myself a very smart psychic. I can see the future and I see something going on at the Bruhl home. Everyone else would just say that I’m a nosey busybody. They would call me crazy but they will soon know that I’m being truthful. I would say