關漢卿現存雜劇15種。他取材現實生活,改造傳統題材,自鑄題旨,表現出對社會生活的深刻體驗和思考;精心布局,創造了較為豐富的雜劇結構類型;充分調動一折二段、懸念、誤會、發現、突轉等多種編劇手法,極大提高了雜劇的藝術表現力;劇情配套選擇妥帖,套外加贈曲是對元雜劇"一本四折"的突破;注重排場派腳,主唱者可改扮多人,這是對元雜劇"一人主唱"的調劑與改造,極大拓展了雜劇結構藝術張力;擅長旦本劇,塑造了生動傳神的婦女群像,有效調動各種腳色,為旦末演員表演體制的形成奠定了基礎。關漢卿雜劇結構藝術特色鮮明,貢獻巨大,影響深遠,誠為元人第一。總體把握關漢卿雜劇結構藝術,可以為建構具有中國特色的戲曲結構理論提供一個經典性范本。

The 15 existing plays by the Yuan-Dynasty playwright Guan Hanqing reflect the playwright’s originality in processing subject matter through transformation of conventional themes and his realistic concerns with profound thoughts. Guan Hanqing’s plays, literally variety dramas in Chinese, demonstrate a variety of structural types with different dramaturgic techniques. The plot from suspense, misunderstanding, and discovery to return is well adapted into plays with each act comprising two sections, and this greatly promotes the expressiveness of the plays. His story is strengthened by his thoughtful construction of plot with added sections that broke through the "one-play-of-four-act" convention. In Guan’s ingenious casting, one lead actor can play multiple characters and this greatly changes the convention of the one-actor opera at the time and improves the tension on stage. Guan Hanqing’s plays highlight the woman lead characters, and can deploy more characters to enhance the plot centered round the woman lead actor, which eventually helps form Chinese opera performance convention centered round the woman lead actor. Guan Hanqing’s plays may provide an example for the theorization of the structure in Chinese operatic plays.