Structure

Most full-length plays are divided into two or three acts, or, as in the case of most of Shakespeare's works, into five. Each of these acts is further divided into scenes, usually two or three per act. Very few dramas reach the level of twelve scenes, as Abe Lincoln in Illinois does. In addition, very few are written for a cast as large as this, which has more than thirty performers. This is a work of epic scope, fitting three decades of Lincoln's life into a few hours onstage. It incorporates many familiar moments and expressions that are part of the Lincoln legend, as well as new ones that were fabricated by Sherwood to dramatize the aspects of Lincoln's character that he thought were most important. There is no consistency in the lengths of the individual acts, nor is there any pattern used in the play's structure to...