Drama related Terms

Drama related Terms

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 Closet Drama 

Closet drama is a type of play written to be read rather than performed on a stage. Instead, a closet drama is intended for individual or small group readings.

Closet drama complex language and themes, are valued for their literary qualities rather than their theatrical potential

Examples: Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, Milton's Samson Agonistes.

Monodrama

Monodrama is a single-character play, or a poem in which a single speaker's perspective and thoughts are revealed.

Example: Tennyson's poem Maud: A Monodrama, Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape and Happy Days are examples of monodramas.

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Soliloquy 

Soliloquy is a narrative device in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, typically while alone on stage & reveals his inner feelings, motivations, or plans directly to the audience, providing information that would not otherwise be accessible through dialogue with other characters.

Examples: Act 1, Scene VII soliloquy of Macbeth and “To be or not to be” soliloquy in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet".

Aside

A brief comment or remark made by a character directly to the audience, unheard by other characters on stage.

Asides are brief and differ from a soliloquy, which is a longer speech delivered when a character is alone. 

Examples: "Glamis, and thane of Cawdor! / The greatest is behind". (act-1, scene -3, Macbeth)

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Fourth Wall

The "fourth wall" in drama is an imaginary barrier between the performers on stage and the audience, creating the illusion that the audience is not there and the performance is happening in a private, self-contained world.

The concept is often credited to Denis Diderot, who suggested actors behave as if a wall separated them from the audience, making their performance more realistic.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something the characters don’t, creating tension, suspense, or humor.

Writers use dramatic irony to keep readers engaged and emotionally invested, adding depth and impact to the story.

Examples: Duncan's comment about the previous Thane of Cawdor, "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face,”unable to see the treacherous intent in Macbeth's face.

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Foreshadowing 

Foreshadowing is a literary device where an author gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story through various methods, such as dialogue, symbolism, or specific plot points.

Examples: Macbeth's statement that he heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more!" foreshadows his future insomnia and the torment of guilt that will affect both him and Lady Macbeth.

The witches' predictions that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and king foreshadow his rise to power.

Catharsis 

Catharsis is the process of releasing strong or repressed emotions, often leading to a sense of relief or purification.

Greek word "katharsis," meaning "cleansing" or "purging," and was famously used by Aristotle to describe the effect of tragedy on an audience. 

The audience feels pity for Macbeth, even though he acts evil and the ending provides catharsis when he is defeated and killed.

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