Drama - Elements of Drama

DRAMA

The term drama comes from the Greek word ‘dram’, meaning “action” In Classical Greek, the drama also means “to do” or “to act” Drama is the imitation or representation of reality on stage. It is an imaginative expression of ideas in form of action and dialogue. Dramatic personae are known as characters in a drama, which also comprises actors and actresses. A drama cannot be regarded as a play until it is acted on stage. A play is a drama in book form. It is written in or without act and scene that is meant to be performed on stage. Play, therefore, means drama for the stage. A playlet is a short drama piece. The distinguishing characteristic of drama as a genre is its reliance on action and dialogue. Whenever you observe two quarrelsome drivers in traffic, you will see those two primary elements of drama-action and dialogue. It is basically through the actions and dialogues of characters that the story which is a piece of drama is developed, and if you take away these elements, there wouldn’t be any drama.

 ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

 Chorus: This is a group of characters who comment or provide information on the action of the play. They can be part of the dramatic personae. Femi Osofisan is known for the use of chorus in his plays.

 Dialogue: It is the conversation or exchange of words among the characters in a play. It is the most distinguishing element of drama.

 Dramatic Personae: It is the list of characters in the play. 

 Cast: Cast is the full list of characters that are playing different roles in the play.

 Suspense: It has to do with anxiety or uncertainty about what is about to take place in a play. It arouses the curiosity of a reader or the audience watching a play. 

 Denouement: It is the turning point in the course of events in the play. It is also the resolution of conflict where all the mystery or conflict is resolved. The action in the play either ends in happiness or failure for the protagonist. It is also the reversal of the hero’s fortune.

 Catastrophe: This is the final outcome when the conflict ends in a tragedy which is caused by a sudden, unexpected and terrible event. 

 Catharsis or Katharsis is a term coined by Aristotle. It is the purgation or release of strong emotion or feeling in a literary work, especially in drama.

 Prologue: It is an introduction or an exposition to a literary work. 

 Epilogue: It is the conclusion or a final statement in a literary work. 

 Interlude: This is a short entertainment between the acts of a play. It is used as a sign of relief to the audience. It is also a break in-between a literary work. 

 Climax (From the Greek Klimax ‘staircase’ or ‘ladder’): This is the highest point of incidence in a play usually moved from an unserious issues to noble serious ones. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet. the rising action reaches the climax of the hero’s fortunes with his proof of the king’s guilt the device of the play within a play.

 Anticlimax: It is synonymous with bathos. It denotes a sudden change from the noble serious and exciting to the absurd, unimportant, lowly and ‘uninteresting issue, e.g. Mr. Kopiko lost his wife, dog, wristwatch, and a script.

 Flashback: It is the bringing back or recalling of events that happened before the work opened. It is also referred to as past events and how they contributed to the present situation in the play.

 Protagonist: It is the chief character in a play. The protagonist is also known as a hero. If he is a male you call him a hero, female is the heroine. The plot centers on the action of the protagonist, for instance, Brother Jero is the protagonist in Soyinka’s Trial of Brother Jero.

 Antagonist: This is the character that attacks or creates problems for the protagonist. The antagonist is also known as a villain. Shylock is the antagonist in William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. 

 Foreshadow: This provides a hint or idea to the reader or the audience, an action that has not yet taken place in drama. The chorus in the prologue of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a good example of foreshadowing. 

 Prefiguration: It is another word for foreshadowing, which presents a certain events that will occur as the story progresses.

 Hubris: This is the moment of recognition of truth when ignorance gives way to knowledge in a character. 

 Peripeteia: It is an irredeemable reversal of the hero’s fortune in a tragedy. 

 Hamartia: It is the moral flaw or weakness that leads to the downfall of a major character in a drama. 

 Tragic Flaw: It is the weakness in the character of the protagonist, which attributes to his downfall. For instance, short temper is Odewale’s tragic flaw in Olu Rotimi’s The Gods are not to blame. And this results in the killing of his father.

 Playwright/Dramatist: The writer of a play is known as the playwright or dramatist.

 Soliloquy: This is the act of talking to oneself silently or aloud especially in a speech in a play.

 Comic Hero: It is a character that makes one laugh. The character’s problems are always resolved at the end of the play.

 Clown: They entertain the audience by making them laugh. They are also known as dramatic fools or jesters.

 Dramatic Monologue: This is a play, an act, or scene performed by a single character e.g Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Dead.

 Aside: This is when a character with other characters on stage says something which is heard by the audience alone most times the character faces the camera and expresses his feelings.

 Tragic Hero: It is a protagonist that ends in an unhappy way. He is usually pulled down by circumstances greater than him. For instance, Hamlet is the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. 

 Pathos: This is what arouses the sympathy pain and sorrow in a character. It makes one feel bad. 

 Props: They are the materials that are used for theatrical performance and they are coloring items, lighting gadgets, and scene devices.

 Deus ex Machina: It is a person or character that came to save a situation. 

 KINDS OF DRAMA

Comedy: It is a play or drama that ends happily: It deals with light issues or misfortune by creating a feeling of joy and laughter for the reader. It is usually satiric in nature. Wole Soyinka’s Lion and the Jewel is a good example. 

 Tragedy: It is a play that ends in death and serious misfortune thereby creating a feeling of sorrow in the mind of a reader e.g Olu Rotimi’s The Gods are not to blame.

 Comedy of Manners: It is an amusing play film/movie or book that shows the silly behavior of a particular group of people, and the vicissitudes of young lovers and what becomes of them. Shakespeare’s Lovers labor’s lost and much Ado about Nothing is a good examples. 

 Tragic Comedy: It begins sadly with a tragic outcomes but ends in a happy way. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is an elusive example.

 Melodrama: (“Melos” is a Greek term for ‘song’. It deals with the exaggerated behavior of certain people. It makes use of hyperbole, action, and satire, which usually ends happily. The Victorian melodramas can be said to have the same relation to tragedy. The protagonists are flat types: the hero is great-hearted.

 Pantomime/Dance Drama: It is performed with music, facial expression, and other body movements. 

 Mime: It is a play that lacks dialogue. It involves the use of facial expressions and gesticulation. 

 Miracle and Morality Play: They are verse dramas than deals with extracted stories from the holy bible based on the lives of some saints. Medieval plays are good examples.

 Masque: It is a play written in verse.

Farce: It is a play that elicits fun and laughter. It is aimed at creating amusement for the reader or audience. Example Femi Osofisan’s The Engagement.