Lesson 3: Themes and Messages in Drama

🟦 Introduction

Why do playwrights tell stories? Often, it’s not just to entertain. They want us to think, feel, and learn. This is where themes and messages come in.

In drama, a theme is the central idea the play explores—such as love, betrayal, power, or justice. A message is the lesson or moral the playwright wants the audience to take away.

Understanding themes and messages helps you go beyond the surface of a play. It shows you understand the why behind the what—and that’s key to scoring well in WASSCE.

🟩 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What Is a Theme in Drama?

A theme is the underlying subject or big idea in a play.
It’s not the plot or what happens—but what the events and characters help us reflect on.

🎭 Theme = the deeper meaning behind the story.

Common Themes in WASSCE Drama Texts:

2. How to Identify a Theme

Ask yourself:

• What problem keeps coming up?

• What issues do the characters struggle with?

• How do their actions affect others?

🔍 If multiple characters face similar struggles, it’s probably a key theme.

3. Theme vs. Message

• Theme = what the story is about (e.g. greed, loyalty)

• Message = what the writer wants you to learn (e.g. “Greed leads to destruction”)

You can think of the message as the lesson behind the theme.

4. How Themes Are Developed

Playwrights explore themes through:

• Character actions and choices

• Dialogue and arguments

• Conflicts and consequences

• Symbols or recurring objects/scenes

📘 In The Blood of a Stranger, white men’s exploitation of natives develops the theme of greed and colonialism.

5. Universal vs. Specific Themes

• Universal themes apply to all people in all places (e.g. love, family, death)

• Specific themes relate to a certain setting or culture (e.g. colonial oppression in African plays)

Understanding both helps you answer comparative questions in WASSCE.

🧭 Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Sample Excerpt:

Chief: You think I care about their crops? I want the diamond mine—nothing else.
Villager: But our land will be ruined!
Chief: That is not my concern.

Step 1: Identify the Theme

• Greed: The Chief wants profit at the people’s expense.

• Exploitation: He abuses his power and position.

Step 2: Extract the Message

• Message: Leaders who exploit their people eventually lose trust and respect.

• OR: Greed leads to destruction.

🟨 Practice Exercises

Exercise A: Match Themes to Examples

Scene and Theme Matching:
A king ignores warnings and is overthrown.
A girl fights to go to school despite her father’s resistance.
Two brothers fight over family inheritance.
A corrupt judge is exposed by a young lawyer.

Themes:
A. Betrayal
B. Tradition vs. Change
C. Greed and Family Conflict
D. Justice and Injustice

✅ Answers:

• A king ignores warnings – A. Betrayal

• A girl fights for education – B. Tradition vs. Change

• Two brothers argue over property – C. Greed and Family Conflict

• A judge is exposed – D. Justice and Injustice

Exercise B: Identify Theme and Message

Excerpt:

Mother: I worked my whole life for this home.
Son: And I will sell it to move to the city.
Mother: You throw away our roots for your own comfort!

Questions:

1. What is the theme?

2. What is the message?

✅ Answers:

1. Theme: Tradition vs. Modernity

2. Message: Disrespecting your roots can lead to regret or broken family ties.

Exercise C: Theme Hunt

Choose one WASSCE drama text you’ve studied.
Answer the following:

• What are two major themes?

• Which characters develop these themes?

• What message(s) do you think the playwright wanted the audience to learn?

✔️ Tip: Use clear, specific examples from the text.

🔁 Recap

In this lesson, you learned:

• A theme is the central idea a play explores.

• A message is the lesson or moral drawn from that theme.

• Themes are developed through character actions, conflict, and dialogue.

• WASSCE questions may ask you to identify or discuss themes and how they shape the play.

🪞Reflection Prompt

Think about a play, film, or story you recently read.

• What was the theme?

• How was the theme shown through the characters or plot?

• What message did you take away?

Write 6–8 sentences summarizing your response.