How would you describe the main conflict? Is it internal where the character suffers inwardly? Is it external, caused by the surroundings or environment the main character finds themself in?
Essential to figuring out what kind of journey you want your main character to go through
Setting is a description of where and when the story takes place. What aspects make up the setting? Geography, weather, time of day, social conditions? What role does setting play in the story? Is it an important part of the plot or theme? Or is it just a backdrop against which the action takes place? Study the time period which is also part of the setting When was the story written? Does it take place in the present, the past, or the future? How does the time period affect the language, atmosphere, or social circumstances of the novel?
Establishes the essential parts of a story by providing the context of which it takes place, ranging from physical location to time
Action is usually not described in great depth, and actors are to interpret what actions to take based on the dialogue.
The actors get to make each play unique by interpreting the actions done while reading off their lines in different ways.
When writing about a play, you should try to reference act, scene, and line number in your parenthetical in-text citation. For example (1.3.186) means Act 1, Scene 3, Line 186. However, not all plays have line numbers, or even scenes. So you may need to just reference act and scene (1.3) or just the act (Act 3).
I didn't know that play citations were different from if a regular novel was being used as a source.
From there, you can go on to more specific questions, such as, “How does symbolism help illustrate the theme?” or “What does the author say about the relationships between characters through the dialogue he gives them?”
Examples of the critical thinking exercised by asking questions about the story and why these details matter
writing about literature will let you exercise your critical thinking skills like no other style of writing will. Even if you don't want to pursue a career involving literature, you can use critical thinking and analysis in any field from philosophy to business to physics. More than being able to think critically, you need to be able to express those thoughts in a coherent fashion. Writing about literature will allow you to practice this invaluable communication skill.
Essentially writing about literature is another way to train your mind, akin to practicing an instrument to get better at playing.