Play Analysis: Text & Subtext

Video Transcript

"Alright, capital letter C. Does the text dominate the subtext or vice versa? Here's where we're going to take a look at the text, which is, you know, the actual written lines, what the playwright wrote, what the characters say. The subtext is what is not said in spoken or written words but what is insinuated. It's the underlying meaning of the words that are being spoken. For example, if I say, "I really hate you." But I say it in such a way, I could mean that I really love you. That's the subtext, even though my words say something totally different. Well, every play is dominated by text or subtext or possibly both. So you have to take a look at which one is dominant or are they equal and you want to talk about it in about four or five sentences."