Lesson 4.

Intertextuality in Drama

Creative Writing
General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
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A 2001 jukebox musical set in Moulin Rouge, Paris,
France was released.
3
The musical features:
● the 1970 Elton John
song
● the 1974 Labelle song
● the famous Julie
Andrews song
● Arabian Nights

4
Viewers make
connections between the
musical and previous
works.

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Intertextuality

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 Learning
Competency Understand intertextuality as a technique in
drama (HUMSS_CW/MPIj-IIc-16).

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Learning
Objectives
● Be familiar with what intertextuality is.

● Identify the different types of intertextuality.

● Determine how to incorporate intertextuality

in drama.

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 ILY Game (Intertextuality, Luck, and
Let’s Yesterday)
Begin

1. The class will be divided into groups of three.

2. Each group must have a dice.
3. Roll the dice three times.
4. List down the results of your three dice
throws and check the equivalent details from
the table on the next slide.

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 ILY Game (Intertextuality, Luck, and
Let’s Yesterday)
Begin
1 2 3
a plot from a a setting from the a character from a
mythological story fantasy novel fairytale

4 5 6
a protagonist’s a creature a plot from an
struggle from a (imaginary or real) ancient text
21st-century story from a 20th-century
story
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 ILY Game (Intertextuality, Luck, and
Let’s Yesterday)
Begin
5. Write a one-page outline for a scene for a one-act
play incorporating the three details from the table
based on the numbers you rolled.
6. You can incorporate the details in three ways:
a. Use the detail exactly as it is from the source.
b. Use the detail in a different way but retain its
name, characteristics, or specificities.
c. Create a modern take of the detail.

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 ILY Game (Intertextuality, Luck, and
Let’s Yesterday)
Begin

7. Your scene should be about “yesterday”—any

idea or concept you can think of related to
the word.

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 1. Was it difficult to come up with an idea for a
Let’s scene based on the elements that you
Begin
rolled? Why or why not?

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 2. Are you familiar with other works (written,
Let’s television, movies, etc.) that made use of the
Begin same elements that you rolled? Give some
examples.

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 3. Do you think it is possible for a writer to come
Let’s up with a text that is similar to an older text
Begin even without having read the said older text?
Why or why not?

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Essential
Question

How does intertextuality make the drama

more impactful and engaging to readers?

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 Intertextuality
What It Is

● The idea of intertextuality started with observations

of critics such as Roland Barthes (1971), Mikhail
Bakhtin (1975), and Julia Kristeva (1960).
● An intertextual text echoes previous texts.

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 Intertextuality
What It Is

● connection of a creative output to previously written

works
● derivations of previously written works
● influence of previously written works to a creative
output
● may be obvious or latent

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 Intertextuality
Reader, Writer and Intertextuality

gap between the reader’s knowledge and the writer’s

knowledge

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 Intertextuality

Read the first act of the drama Mourning

Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill.

Scan or click this!

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Intertextuality

● The drama is a modern version

of Oresteia by Aeschylus.
● Both dramas are divided into
three parts.
● The first act of O’Neill’s drama
follows the events in Agamemnon
of Aeschylus.
● There are also allusions to Greek
drama in the selection by O’Neill.

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 Types of Intertextuality
Obligatory Intertextuality

● The writer creates an intentional connection between

his or her work and previous work or previous works.
● The writer adapts certain elements or details from
previous work or works to his or her creative output.
● Reading the previous work or works is essential in
understanding the creative output of the writer.

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Intertextuality

Read Changing of the Guard by Grace Sugcang and

explore how it exemplifies obligatory intertextuality.

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 Intertextuality

Read Act 1, Scenes 1–4 of Hamlet, Prince

of Denmark by William Shakespeare.

Then, relate it to Changing of the Guard by

Grace Sugcang from the previous slide.
Scan or click this!

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Intertextuality

Obligatory Intertextuality

The scenes from Hamlet, Prince of

Denmark by William Shakespeare
depict how Bernardo, Horatio,
and Marcellus saw the ghost of
King Hamlet and how they told
Prince Hamlet about it.

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Intertextuality
Obligatory Intertextuality

The scene from Changing of the

Guard by Grace Sugcang took
place after Prince Hamlet chased
the ghost of King Hamlet.

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 Types of Intertextuality
Optional Intertextuality

● The writer creates an intentional connection between

his or her work and a previous work or works.
● The creative output of the writer does not adapt
elements or details from a previous work or works,
but may use subjects or themes.
● Reading the previous work or works is not essential in
understanding the creative output of the writer.
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 Intertextuality

Read Act 1 of Strife and Truce by Paolo and discover how

it exemplifies optional intertextuality.

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 Intertextuality

Read Act 1, Scenes 1 and Act 1, Scene 6 of

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare.

Then, relate it to Act 1 of Strife and Truce by

Paolo from the previous slide. Scan or click this!

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Intertextuality
Optional Intertextuality

● Act 1, Scene 1 of The

Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
introduces the conflict of
the House Montague and
House Capulet.
● Act 1, Scene 6 narrates the
first meeting of Romeo and
Juliet.
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Intertextuality
Optional Intertextuality

● The scene from Strife and

Truce by Paolo introduces the
conflict between the Crimson
and Cyan student parties.
● It also tells the readers about
the first meeting of Robbie
and Janine, which is similar to
Romeo and Juliet’s meeting.
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 Types of Intertextuality
Accidental Intertextuality

● The reader creates a connection between the

writer’s work and a previous work or works.
● The creative output of the writer does not adapt
elements or details from a previous work or works,
but may have similar subjects or themes.
● Reading the previous work or works is not essential
in understanding the creative output of the writer.
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 Intertextuality

Read Scene 1 of Falling for Mr. Prankster by Carla Ramos, an

example of a text that exemplifies accidental intertextuality.

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 Intertextuality

Read the myth of Cupid and Psyche.

Then, relate it to Scene 1 of Falling for Mr.

Prankster by Carla Ramos from the previous
slide.
Scan or click this!

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Intertextuality
Accidental Intertextuality

● This is the love story of

Cupid and Psyche.
● Psyche’s beauty is
compared to Aphrodite,
which angered the
goddess.

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Intertextuality
Accidental Intertextuality

● The goddess of beauty

commanded her son to
make Psyche fall in love
with a monster.
● Cupid fell in love with
Psyche instead.

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Intertextuality
Accidental Intertextuality

Although the text may remind a

reader familiar with Cupid and
Psyche of the myth, there are
many stories that follow the
same general plot.

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Intertextuality
Accidental Intertextuality
There is no explicit connection
between Cupid and Psyche and
Falling for Mr. Prankster, so the
writer may not have intended the
parallelisms. However, since the
reader can make the connection,
it can be considered intertextual.

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 Intertextuality
Intertextuality and Writing
Drama
● intertextuality and plagiarism
● not the writer’s responsibility
to explain his or her work
● intertextuality = inevitable

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 True or False. Click the thumbs up picture if the
statement is true; otherwise, click the thumbs down
Try This!
picture.

1. Making connections, derivations, and spin

offs all refer to intertextuality.

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 True or False. Click the thumbs up picture if the
statement is true; otherwise, click the thumbs down
Try This!
picture.

2. In obligatory intertextuality, the writer

makes connections but the readers do not.

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 True or False. Click the thumbs up picture if the
statement is true; otherwise, click the thumbs down
Try This!
picture.

3. In optional intertextuality, the writer does

not make connections but the readers do.

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 True or False. Click the thumbs up picture if the
statement is true; otherwise, click the thumbs down
Try This!
picture.

4. In accidental intertextuality, the writer

makes connections but the readers do not.

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 True or False. Click the thumbs up picture if the
statement is true; otherwise, click the thumbs down
Try This!
picture.
5. A writer read The Edible Woman by Margaret
Atwood. Without getting the consent of the author,
she wrote a drama version of it. It is not plagiarism.

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Wrap-
Up ● Intertextuality is making connections
between creative output and previously
created literary texts.

● The three types of intertextuality include

obligatory, optional, and accidental
intertextuality.

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 The Previous Work
Wrap- The Connection The Connection Is
Is Necessary For
Up Intertextuality Is the Author’s the Reader’s
Understanding the
Intention Intention
Creative Output

Obligatory
Intertextuality
✓ x ✓

Optional
Intertextuality
✓ x x

Accidental
Intertextuality
x ✓ x
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Wrap-
Up ● In using intertextuality in writing drama, the
writer: (1) should be wary of plagiarism, (2) is
not responsible for explaining the connections
between his or her work to other works, and (3)
should remember that intertextuality is
inevitable.

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Challenge
Yourself
Choose one of the stories below:
a. “The Argonauts”
b. “How Frey Won Gerda, The Giant Maide
n, and How He Lost His Magic Sword”
c. “The Ice Man”

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Writing
Tip
You can read other versions of the story, or
other stories that further explain what
happened in the one that you have chosen to
serve as reference.

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Challenge Create a two- to three-page scene for a one-act
Yourself
play that exemplifies intertextuality, using your
chosen story as basis. Choose among the three
types of intertextuality (obligatory, optional, or
accidental) which your work will exemplify.
Choose a title for your work.

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Bibliography
Burke, Michael. The Routledge Handbook of Stylistics. London, New York: Routledge, 2018.

Fitzimmons, John. “Romantic and Contemporary Poetry: Readings.” CQUniversity e-courses, LITR19049 - Romantic
and Contemporary Poetry, 2013. http://moodle.cqu.edu.au.

Habib, M.A. Rafey. A History of Literary Criticism: from Plato to the Present. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Pub.,
2005.

MasterClass. “What Is Intertextuality? How to Apply Literary Inspiration to Your Writing - 2021.” MasterClass.,
November 8, 2020.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-apply-literary-inspiration-to-your-writing#what-is-intertextuali
ty
.

Simpson, Paul. Stylistics: A Resource Book for Students. London, New York: Routledge, 2014.

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