Drama SS1 Literature-in-English Lesson Note

Drama is defined as a penetration of life through artificial means. It is an imitation of an action. It is a type of story that exists mainly in action and is performed on the stage by different characters. The origins of Drama are likely to be found in early religious ceremonies and festivals. This aspect of literature entertains, teaches moral lessons and helps to bring into focus life in action outside our immediate environment. The characters in a play are called actors.

FEATURES OF DRAMA

1. Local Colour:This is the feature of drama which emphasizes the customs, norms, values and setting of the play.
2. Dialogue:This reveals the minds of the characters, it has action and also is designed for theatre, it must have actors who could impersonate characters and perform the action
3. Flashback:This is a device where a scene recalls an event in the past

Protagonist:This is the main character of the play through whom the playwright says his message. He/She is also called the hero or heroine of the play

4. Antagonist: This Greek original form in which this term is coined means “rival” In drama, the term refers to the main opponent of the play’s central character or hero known as the protagonist with whom their paths cross and re-cross in the course of the events. In other words, the antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist
5. Suspense: This term refers to a device in plays and friction as well by which the reader-audience’s anxiety about unfolding events is raised and left unresolved until the end of the dramatic action or denouement. Curiosity about audience guessing and therefore glued, as it were, to the feet or stage to the end
6. Cast: The cast IS the complete list of all actors scheduled to appear in the performance of a play.

Auditor: This refers to a theatre practice in which actors of a play are selected to play specific assigned roles in the performance.

7. Soliloquies:When a character is said to be soliloquizing

FORMS OF DRAMA

1. Tragedy: In a tragedy drama, the most important character (Hero) has a lot of good qualities which endear him to the people but he/she also has some negative traits or weaknesses, which cause his/her failure and downfall, (tragic flaw) which also bring some serious troubles that make him/her lose his/her life or his/her power. e.g. Macbeth by William Shakespeare, The Gods are Not to be Blame by Ola-Rotimi
2. Comedy: This is a play where the story and the characters are amusing and which ends happily.
3. Tragic-Comedy:This is a mixture of tragedy and comedy and a tragic-comedy is a drama where we are happy on one side but sad on the other.