1. Creating Atmosphere: Tone establishes the playwright's intended mood and atmosphere. It can be tragic, comic, serious, cynical, sarcastic, lyrical, or absurd, among other things. The tone helps set the stage for the story that will unfold.
2. Character Development: Tone contributes to the development of characters by revealing their emotional states, attitudes, and motivations. Characters' dialogue, actions, and interactions all contribute to the overall tone and deepen our understanding of who they are.
3. Plot Progression: Tone can signal changes in the plot by building tension or suspense, foreshadowing events, and indicating turning points in the narrative.
4. Themes and Messages: Tone can emphasize and enhance the themes and messages of the drama. A serious tone might emphasize a weighty subject, while a comedic tone might convey a more lighthearted message.
5. Audience Reaction: Tone elicits certain emotional responses from the audience. A playwright can elicit feelings of sympathy, fear, joy, amusement, or thought-provoking discomfort through the tone of the drama.
6. Dramatic Devices: Tone is frequently conveyed through dramatic devices such as symbolism, imagery, language, and staging. For instance, dark, gloomy settings might create a somber tone, whereas bright, cheerful tones might create an optimistic one.
7. Author's Voice: The playwright's personal style and perspective are frequently reflected in their choice of tone. Different playwrights use varying tones to convey their particular viewpoints and messages.
8. Genre Conventions: Tone is frequently shaped by the genre of a play. For example, a tragedy will typically have a somber tone, while a comedy will have a lighter, more humorous one.
9. Adaptation: When a drama is adapted from one medium to another (such as from a novel to a play or a play to a film), the tone may be adjusted to suit the new medium's strengths and limitations.
10. Audience Expectations: Tone can meet the expectations of the intended audience. For example, a children's play may have a lighthearted tone, while a drama intended for adults may be more serious.