3.3.3 Mime
Another form of physical action is mime. Sometimes, certain actions are
presented without words to show meaning for the purpose of
entertainment by dramatists. This is mime. The Oxford Dictionary
describes mime as a dumb show, mummery, pantomime, the use of
gesture to indicate certain action or indication by sign language. It is
regarded as a simple facial drama that is characterized by mimicry and
the ludicrous representation of familiar types of characters. Mime is
therefore the art or technique of expressing or conveying action,
character, or emotion without words but using only gestures and
movements. In other words, it is an expression of action or performance
using such means. In a play, the actions in mime are usually enclosed in
the stage direction and mostly in italics. Some of these mimes are
flashbacks, that is those events from the past that are recalled to help
explain certain things in the play but some of them are presented as part
of the present action in the play. In The Lion and the Jewel, for instance,
the mime on the arrival of the journalist in the village and the one on the
road construction are used to recall past actions.