Distinguish internal and external action

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A drama is a scenario that comes to a head as a result of interpersonal or coincidental events. Here the internal and external action is decisive.

What are the internal and external action

Internal and external action are often difficult to tell apart in a drama because you are in are in a direct interaction, with the external action influencing the internal action can.

  • In a drama, you differentiate the internal and external action based on the key message.
  • The inner action relates to one or more main characters.
  • The fate of these main characters is often influenced by secondary characters or events. This is part of the external act.
  • The external action thus determines the events and the turns of fate that happen in the course of the drama. On the other hand, you can recognize the internal action by the effects that the external action has caused.
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Internal and external action based on an example

The godfather of Mario Puzzo should serve as an example of a classic drama that pretty much everyone should know.

  • The inner plot is the rise of the Corleone family to become a powerful mafia clan and the generation change from Vito Corleone to Michael Corleone.
  • Now the influences begin, i.e. the external action that led to these events.
  • After Vito Corleone refuses to enter the drug business, he falls victim to an attack and survives. Later, his son Santino is shot and Michael takes bloody revenge on the perpetrators.
  • Michael flees to Sicily and goes into hiding with a befriended family. There he falls in love, but has to watch the love of his life fall victim to a bomb attack aimed at him. This storyline shows you what led to Michael Corleone's dehumanization.
  • After his return he takes over the business of his father and after his death has all his former enemies eliminated. Thus, the external action can be assigned the higher priority in a drama, since it directs and influences the events directly. The inner action is its result.
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