Motivation

Definition

Motivation refers to the internal and external forces that drive a character's actions, desires, and goals within a narrative. It plays a crucial role in shaping characters' decisions and conflicts, revealing their complexities and the reasons behind their behavior, which ultimately helps to enhance the story's themes and engage the audience.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Motivation can be categorized as intrinsic (driven by personal satisfaction) or extrinsic (driven by external rewards or pressures).
2. Characters' motivations often create conflicts, pushing them to make difficult choices that reveal their true nature.
3. Understanding a character's motivation helps the audience connect emotionally and invest in their journey.
4. Motivations can evolve throughout the narrative, reflecting changes in a character's experiences or relationships.
5. Playwrights often use dialogue and actions to showcase characters' motivations, making them more relatable and multi-dimensional.

Review Questions

• How does understanding a character's motivation enhance your analysis of their actions and choices in a play?
  • Understanding a character's motivation allows for deeper insight into their actions and choices. It reveals why they behave a certain way, how they respond to conflicts, and what drives their relationships with others. This perspective helps to uncover underlying themes in the play and allows audiences to empathize with characters as they navigate their struggles.
• In what ways can conflicting motivations between characters contribute to the development of the plot in a play?
  • Conflicting motivations between characters can create tension and drive the plot forward. When characters have opposing desires or goals, it leads to clashes that can escalate into significant conflict. This dynamic keeps audiences engaged as they anticipate how these conflicts will resolve and what consequences will arise from the characters' actions.
• Evaluate how a character’s motivation might change over the course of a play, and discuss its impact on their character arc.
  • A character’s motivation may change throughout a play due to experiences that challenge their beliefs or relationships. For example, a character who begins motivated by revenge may ultimately find redemption through love or forgiveness. This evolution not only shapes their character arc but also reflects broader themes within the play, demonstrating how personal growth can stem from confronting one’s motivations and choices.

Related terms

Conflict: The struggle between opposing forces that drives the plot forward and reveals characters' motivations.

Character Arc: The transformation or growth that a character undergoes throughout the story, often influenced by their motivations.

Backstory: The background information about a character’s life that influences their motivations and decisions in the narrative.