Motivations

Definition

Motivations refer to the driving forces behind a character's actions, desires, and decisions in a narrative. They shape how characters interact with their environment and influence their development throughout the story, ultimately affecting the overall plot and emotional resonance of the piece.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Understanding a character's motivations is crucial for creating believable and relatable characters that audiences can connect with emotionally.
2. Motivations can be internal, stemming from personal desires or fears, or external, influenced by societal pressures or relationships with other characters.
3. A character's motivation can evolve throughout the story, leading to significant changes in their behavior and decisions.
4. In script analysis, identifying motivations helps determine if characters are consistent and if their actions serve the narrative effectively.
5. Strong motivations often lead to more compelling conflicts, as they can create tension between characters with opposing goals or desires.

Review Questions

• How do motivations impact a character's development and the overall narrative structure?
  • Motivations play a crucial role in shaping a character's development and driving the narrative forward. They provide the reasons behind a character's actions, influencing their choices and relationships with others. As characters pursue their goals driven by these motivations, they face obstacles that can lead to growth or change, thereby impacting the overall structure of the story and keeping audiences engaged.
• Discuss how understanding a character's motivations aids in effective script coverage and analysis.
  • In script coverage and analysis, understanding a character's motivations is essential for evaluating the coherence and depth of the narrative. By identifying what drives each character, analysts can assess whether their actions align with their goals and if these motivations are clearly communicated throughout the script. This insight helps determine if the characters are fully realized and if their arcs contribute to a compelling storyline.
• Evaluate how conflicting motivations among characters can enhance dramatic tension within a screenplay.
  • Conflicting motivations among characters significantly enhance dramatic tension within a screenplay by creating obstacles that must be overcome. When characters have opposing goals, it leads to clashes that propel the plot forward and keep audiences invested in the outcome. These conflicts not only deepen character development but also enrich themes within the narrative, showcasing how different desires can collide and shape relationships.

Related terms

Character Arc: The transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story, often driven by their motivations.

Conflict: The struggle between opposing forces in a narrative, which often arises from characters' motivations and can drive the plot forward.

Goal: A specific aim or objective that a character strives to achieve, which is closely tied to their motivations.