Task 1. Reflect and Compare.

1.			Based on what you have learned so far, how would you explain the difference between una persona and un personaje?

Now scan the first paragraph of this section, on page 242 of the text, in which the authors explain the difference between un personaje teatral and una persona real. Compare your explanation with the authors'. Can you add anything to your explanation?

Task 2. Explain.

2.			Look at page 242 of the text, where the authors put forth this formula to represent un personaje: actor +texto= personaje. Based on the paragraph that follows the formula, explain in your own words how the authors developed it.
3.			Do you agree with their explanation? Why or why not?

Task 3. Scan for Information.

4.			The next paragraph in the text, beginning on page 243, discusses the two ways in which "un personaje puede constituirse." First, confirm that you understand what constituirse means:

Now scan the paragraph for answers to the following questions.

5.			What are the two ways in which a character se constituye? List them and explain the concept of each way.
6.			What do the authors mean when they say that "los personajes tienen un valor sintáctico"?

Task 4. Compare and Contrast. The first two paragraphs on page 243 of the text introduce two more terms related to characters: los actantes y los actores. Use a venn diagram (see Appendix) to document the similarities and differences between these terms and how they function in a drama. Then answer the following questions.

7.			What is the difference between un actor and un actante?
8.			What do the authors mean when they say that characters have not only un valor sintáctico but also un valor semántico? Can you relate these expressions to the corresponding linguistic terms, syntax (grammar) and semantics (meaning)?

Task 5. Interpret.

9.			The fifth paragraph on page 243 begins by saying that theater, like narrative, requires a protagonist to represent the central action of the story. In the same paragraph, the authors state: "No se debe considerar al protagonista como persona individual, sino como un ser universal." What do they mean by this?

Task 6. Create Diagram. Because of el valor semántico, the protagonist's characteristics will vary depending on whether the play is a comedy or a tragedy. With either type of play, however, the protagonist has a purpose: to deliver the message of the dramatic text. Read the four paragraphs on pages 243-244 that begin with, "Las características del protagonista varían..." and end with the paragraph that begins, "La pregunta que aquí se hace necesaria...," in which the authors explain the purposes of and differences between the protagonist's message in a comedy and in a tragedy. Then fill in the diagram below with the information you extract from those paragraphs.

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Task 7. Make Connections.

11.			Refer again to the graphic organizer you completed in Task 4 of Análisis del teatro. Where would you add your new knowledge about los personajes?

Task 8. Paraphrase.

12.			According to the authors, distinguishing between a comedy and a tragedy is only the first step in analyzing a dramatic text; there are other important questions that must be answered. Carefully read the last paragraph of this section, on page 244, and paraphrase what the authors are saying.
13.			Describe how these questions might appear on a star diagram (see Appendix).