Every play needs a premise
Egri argues that a clear premise, a cause-and-effect thesis like 'great love defies death,' must drive the entire play. The premise is the seed from which character and plot logically grow.
Art of Dramatic Writing
3 ideas
Character as the engine of plot
He holds that plot arises from fully dimensioned characters acting under pressure, not from imposed events. Understanding a character's physiology, sociology, and psychology lets conflict unfold organically.
Conflict through dialectical opposition
Egri frames drama as a clash of opposing wills that escalates by rising conflict. Weak, static, or jumping conflict fails; only steadily rising conflict proves the premise.