1. What is drama?
A literary work written in dialogue to be performed before an audience by actors on a stage.
(NTC’s Dictionary Of Literary Terms)
The general term for performances in which actors impersonate the actions and speech of fictional or historical characters (or non-human entities) for the entertainment of an audience, either on a stage or by means of a broadcast.
(The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms)
Week One BBL3217

2. Does drama always mean to perform?
Closet Drama
A literary composition written in the form of a play (usually as a dramatic poem), but intended – or suited – only for reading in a closet (i.e. private study) rather than for stage performance
(The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms)

3. Characteristics of a Drama
Act and scene
Characters
Dramatic structure

4. Act and Scene Traditional trend Start with 5 acts but later favor 3
An act usually starts when important character/s enter
The scene in an act tells a lot about the whole play and easier to discuss
Individual scene reveals specific problem
Most modern plays are not divided into scenes but can be created when some issues need to be discussed

5. Characters
The people in the play (usually listed in the dramatist personae)
Main character = hero/protagonist (does not mean brave/noble)
Opposing hero = villain/antagonist (evil deeds disrupt the social order)
Sometimes hero can be the villain

6. Dramatic Structure
Basic structure – exposition, complication and resolution
Exposition – prepares the ground to show the changes that take place in the characters’ lives
Complication – develops in the central stage when characters try to come to term with the change
Resolution – order is re-established when characters come to term with the new situation