Unit 4: Drama and Analyze Literature

A drama, or play, is a story told through characters played by actors.

The script, or written form, is made up of dialogue spoken by the characters and stage directions that explain the setting and tell the actors how to give expression to emotions and physical movements.

Because it is meant to be performed before an audience, an important element of drama is spectacle, or the visual portrayal of meaning.

A comedy is a lighthearted or humorous work that typically presents characters with limitations and misunderstandings.

A tragedy portrays the fall of a person of high status, such as a king or god.

For instance, the author of a fictional novel or short story can describe a person, object, or landscape for many pages before a character utters a single word. The author of a play, or playwright, however, does not have this luxury.

The exposition, or background information, and other commentary or description must be expressed by the characters through their dialogue and behavior.

Stage directions are notes included in a play that describe how something should be performed on stage.

A character is an individual who takes part in the action of a literary work.

Just as in fiction, the main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in a drama and is in conflict with the antagonist.

Just as in fiction, the main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in a drama and is in conflict with the antagonist.

Whereas the major characters take part in the central conflict of the work, minor characters usually serve to fulfill a specific function. Such a character might play the part of a foil, a character whose traits contrast with and therefore highlight the traits of another character.

Irony is a difference between appearance and reality.

Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters.

In a monologue, a character speaks aloud or directly addresses the audience or another character in the play.

In a soliloquy, a character is alone on stage, speaking his or her thoughts.

In an aside, a character literally turns to the audience and comments on the situation, a device that may have a humorous effect.

A motif is a recurring element or pattern, such as the notion of embarking on a quest or being transformed from one state to another.

The conflict is the struggle between two forces in a literary work.

A hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration made for effect.

The climax is the high point of interest or suspense in a work of drama or fiction.

Characterization is the act of creating or describing a character.

A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement, idea, or event that actually may be true.

A theme is a central message or perception about life revealed in a literary work.