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Dialogue usually contains “provocation” towards action. It is part of the action/reaction flow between characters. One character says something, the other reacts, moving the drama along in the direction of the spine. Thus, dialogue should relate to the spine, to the character’s role and purpose in the overall structure and theme of the play.
- Definition of Drama
- Types of Drama
- Examples of Drama
- Related Literary Terms
- Other Resources
Drama is a type of production that involves dialogue and performance. Drama features in Aristotle’s famous book Poetics, in which it is contrasted against lyrical and epic modes of writing. The word itself comes from the Greek meaning “action” and “I do.” Until the time of William Shakespeare, according to Wikipedia, the word “play” or “game” was s...
Farce: absurd dramas that use base humor. It is often crude and uses slapstick jokes, drunkenness, cases of mistaken identity, and more—for example, A Comedy of Errors.Opera: the first of two musical types of drama. The characters sing every line of the story rather than speaking. There is a musical score with soliloquies (known as arias) and tragic, comic, or me...Melodrama: tell a serious story with heroes, villains, and more. There are larger-than-life outcomes and circumstances and exaggerated reactions on the part of the characters.The themes are clear a...Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
In this classic Shakespearean comedy, the poet uses many of the elements that are today used to define a comedy. The play tells the story of Count Claudio, Hero, Beatrice, and Benedict. The latter two are convinced that the other is in love with them. Claudio falls in love with Hero, despite the fact that the two never talk on stage until their wedding, and much chaos ensues. Here are a few lines from the play: This passage appears in ActII Scene 1. Beatrice explains why she’ll never get marr...
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen’s most famous work, A Doll’s House, is a well-loved play that tells the story of the Helmer family. It’s divided into three acts and premiered in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1879. It focuses on the mother of the family, Nora, and her attempts to save her husband, Torvald. She secretly borrowed a large sum of money that her husband could recover from an illness. She never told him about this and has been paying it back a bit at a time. She’s treated like a doll and disrespected by her...
Dramatic Monologue— a conversation a speakerhas with themselves, or which is directed at a listen or reader who does not respond.Point of View—what the speaker, narrator, or character can see from their perspective. This can change dramatically, depending on the character.Soliloquy—a dramatic literary device that is used when a character gives a speechthat reveals something about their thought process.Watch: The Tempest Film by William ShakespeareRead: Oedipus Rex by SophoclesWatch: A Raisin in the SunPeople also ask
What is a dialogue in literature?
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Poetic Drama. Poetic dramas include colloquial dialogue, as seen in most prose plays, and poetic elements that feel elevated and serious. The best-known examples are experimental in nature and include elements of classical poetry and prose as well as contemporary literary devices and themes. The inclusion of poetic elements in drama can make ...
May 26, 2023 · Dialogue refers to conversations between characters in a work of literature or a play. Writers use dialogue to develop the characters in a work and to move the plot. In literary texts, passages of ...
- Plot. As discussed in the Creative Nonfiction and Fiction chapters, plot is the most important element in a narrative. Similarly, it comprises arguably the most important element of a play.
- Structure. Whether tragedy, comedy, history, or romance, all plays generally follow the structure of act, scene, and line. A play can be anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.
- Setting. To provide the story’s setting, a play requires sets. If you've ever been involved with a play, you know that the set can be made up of detailed backdrops, specifically designed props, strategic lighting, and sometimes even background noise.
- Character. While in short stories or novels a reader must wait until a character appears to know who the important characters are, in a play they are often the first aspect of the text encountered by readers.
Dialogue is a rhetorical device that can be used in fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry to advance the plot or story, reveal character relationships, or provide exposition. In fiction, dialogue often reveals character relationships and moves the plot forward. In non-fiction and drama, dialogue can be used to advance the story or to provide ...
Nov 4, 2022 · Another important category of dialogue poetry by female poets is the pastoral dialogue, which appears in poems by Katherine Philips, Hester Pulter, Aphra Behn, Drama by Anne Finch, and Anne Killigrew. These poems situate male and female speakers in a pastoral setting where they are able to explore affective relationships and debate different ...
