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Drama is a type of
literature usually
written to be
performed.
The form drama
takes is called a
play or script.
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Sir Ian McKellen portrays
Shakespeare’s character Hamlet in
1971’s production of Hamlet.
Characteristics of
Drama
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Types of Drama
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Purposes of Drama
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Written to be presented by actors.
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Written primarily in dialogue or lines
◦ Writers only focus on what is seen or heard on stage
or screen.
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Non spoken material is called stage directions.
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Has an unique organization.
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Other dramatic devices.
Actors are people who pretend to be
the characters in a play.
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They must learn how to read their lines to
make the story come alive during the
performance.
Good actors are often popular and are asked
to play demanding roles.
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Dialogue is what a character says during the
play.
Dialogue always begins by listing the
character’s name, followed by what he or she
says.
Example:
Antony: O mighty Caesar! Dost thou lie so low?
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Dialogue is the only way information is given
to the audience during a play.
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Stage directions are special notes in the play that give
information to the actors.
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What to do on stage
When to enter and exit during a scene
How to deliver a line of dialogue
What the setting looks like
Give clues to what characters are feeling or thinking.
 Examples:
SAMPSON: Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow.
(They fight)
(Enter BENVOLIO)
JOAN (fearfully): So who saw me there…at the site of the murder?
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Divided into Acts and Scenes.
◦ An act is a major division.
◦ A scene is a smaller division within an Act.
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A play usually has 2-3 Acts with 2-3 scenes
in each act.
Scene changes usually mean a change in
setting (time or place).
SCENE I. Verona. A public place.
SCENE III. A room in Capulet's house.
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Monologue: long speech, delivered by one
character, intended for the other characters to
hear
Soliloquy: long speech, delivered by one
character, alone on stage, not intended for the
other characters to hear
Aside: a character turns to the audience to say
something other characters are not supposed
to hear (short speech, a few lines only).
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There are two basic types of Drama
◦ Tragedy
◦ Comedy
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Other types
◦ Histories
◦ Tragicomedies
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Tragedy has a serious tone.
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Important people are usually
the main characters.
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Involves big, important
themes.
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Usually an important character
dies at the end.
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Melodrama is a type of tragedy
that is more focused on
physical actions.
Scene from “Million Dollar Baby”
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Scene from “Dumb and Dumber”
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Comedies have a light
or amusing tone.
Characters are usually
common everyday
people.
Themes are often
dealing with love.
Happy endings are
common. In traditional
comedies, lead
characters marry.
Farce is a type of
comedy that focuses
on physical humor and
crude jokes.
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Give instruction about how to live.
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Entertainment.
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Make us aware of social issues.
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Cause us to reflect on ourselves and our
beliefs.
FOIL – characters whose words and actions
emphasize the differences between them
Ex: Romeo and Benvolio; Romeo and Mercutio
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BLANK VERSE – verse with no rhyme
- iambic pentameter (5 feet)
(u/ u/ u/ u/ u/)
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
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PUN (play upon words) – using a word with
multiple meanings or two words that sound alike
but have different meanings
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He won the twister contest hands-down.
 After periodic doubts about his vocational calling, the young
chemistry teacher concluded he was out of his element.
 Dying Mercutio using the word grave:
“Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”
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COMIC RELIEF – the introduction of a humorous
character or situation into a tragic scene
APOSTROPHE – the speaker addresses someone
absent, dead, or an inanimate object