Dramatistic pentad

The dramatistic pentad forms the core structure of dramatism, a method for examining motivations that the renowned literary critic Kenneth Burke developed. Dramatism recommends the use of a metalinguistic approach to fiction that investigates the roles and uses of five rhetorical elements common to all narratives, each of which is related to a question. These five rhetorical elements form the "dramatistic pentad." Burke argues that an evaluation of the relative emphasis that is given to each of the five elements by a fictional work enables a determination of the motive for the behaviour of its characters. A character's stress on one element over the others suggests their world view.

Rhetorical elements of the dramatistic pentad

The dramatistic pentad comprises the five rhetorical elements:

Act

Act, which is associated with dramatic action verbs and answers the question "what?", is related to the world view of realism; What happened? What is the action? What is going on? What action; what thoughts?

Scene

Scene, which is associated with the setting of an act and answers the questions "when?" and "where?", is related to the world view of materialism and minimal or non-existent free will.

Agent

Agent, which answers the question "whom?", reflects the world view of philosophical idealism.

Agency

Agency (means), which is associated with the person or the organization that committed the deed and answers the question "how?", implies a pragmatic point of view.

Purpose

Purpose, which is associated with meaning and answers the question "why?", indicates that the character seeks unity through identification with an ultimate meaning of life. Reflects the world view of mysticism.