Drama

• Drama is a form of literature that is performed onstage in front of an audience.
• Dramas are stories in verse or prose form that are meant to be performed onstage in front of an audience.
• Authors who write dramas are called dramatists or playwrights.
• Elements of drama are similar to those of fiction except that drama is written in a form called script, in which the lines are written in dialogues with stage directions.
• Instead of chapters, dramas are divided into acts and scenes.
• Tragedy is a type of drama where the central character has a tragic flaw, making this character a tragic hero.
• The central character in tragedy possesses a characteristic that can lead to his or her downfall.
• Comedy is a type of drama that aims to make the audience laugh and is lighthearted.
• Comedy often takes place in unusual circumstances, and it is typical for characters in these plays to utter witty remarks.
• Musical Drama is a type of drama where characters dance and sing, with various themes presented, from serious to comedic.
• Farce is a nonsensical drama that employs slapstick humor and is mainly comedic.
• Melodrama is a type of drama characterized by the characters’ exaggerated emotions in various situations.
• Dialogue refers to the characters’ speech and is considered the lifeblood of drama.
• Forms of dialogue include dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, and aside.
• Learning about drama can help us relate to the unique experiences of other people around us.
• scene (noun) - an event in a drama with continuous action; usually grouped into acts
• act (noun) - a series of scenes in a drama; each act contains scenes that are related to one another, whether through theme, setting, or time frame
• script (noun) - the body of work a drama is based on; contains all the characters’ lines, actions, and blocking
• soliloquy  (noun) - the speech of a character alone on stage, usually as though the character talks to himself/herself, and no one but the audience can hear
• Dialogue

  • the conversations of two or more characters onstage
• Monologue

  • a long speech given by one character that can be heard by or directed to other characters who are also onstage
• Aside

  • a remark that a character makes that is meant only for the audience to hear
  • other characters onstage do not hear asides
• There are five types of drama: Tragedy, Comedy, Melodrama, Farce, and Musical Drama