6.1: Defining Drama
- Page ID
- 273698
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Drama, often misunderstood as solely emotional or theatrical behavior, is actually a distinct literary genre written in script form. Unlike prose or poetry, drama relies on characters’ spoken dialogue and actions to tell a story, usually in real time and without a narrator. These scripts may be humorous, tragic, historical, or even modern-day exchanges like text messages or interviews. Drama is characterized by natural, present-tense speech. Ultimately, drama allows audiences to experience a story through performance, offering a unique blend of language, structure, and live interaction that sets it apart from other genres.
- Define drama as a literary genre.
- Identify and analyze key structural features of dramatic literature
Definition
The first thing people usually think of when hearing the word “drama” is a script of a sad emotional nature. The next thing that comes to mind is something or someone who causes social or emotional tension. However, drama has a much more specific meaning in the arena of literary genres.
Drama is any literature in the form of a script. These scripts can be sad, humorous, satirical, historical, and more (or all the above). This means that while movie/television scripts and plays fall within the drama genre, so can things like text message exchanges and interview or court transcripts.
Like prose, the verbiage in drama is typically that of natural speech. However, unlike prose, there is not typically a narrator. Instead, the characters in the drama speak for themselves and reveal their personalities and the plot of the script through their own words and actions. Additionally, while prose is often written in past tense (though not always), works of drama happen in the present.
Drama literature is written in script form. Instead of being organized in chapters like prose, drama exists in scenes and acts. Instead of sentences being organized into stanzas (like poetry) or paragraphs (like prose), drama exists in the form of lines and character dialogue. Often, there will be stage directions in brackets throughout the script indicating what characters are supposed to do on stage.
Here is an example of how literature from the drama genre appears (from the screenplay from Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling):
Annelle: Sammy Wayne Desoto, what is this in my Frigidaire?
Sammy: Beer.
Annelle: I don't care what you do with your refrigerator, but you will not keep liquor in mine.
[dumps the beer out in the yard]
Sammy: Oh, Annelle, for Christ's sake!
Annelle: Who? Who did you say?
Sammy: Christ, Christ, Christ!
Annelle: Are you speaking of our Lord? Is that whose name you're taking in vain?
Sammy: That's the one.
Annelle: Well, I'm sorry, Sammy. But I am not about to spend the next fifty years of my life with someone I'm not gonna run into in the hereafter.
Sammy: Oh, Annelle, goddammit!
Annelle: I think we should pray.
Sammy: I'd rather eat dirt!
We will further analyze this passage in the next exercise.
Exercise 1: Identifying Elements of Drama
Instructions: Read the excerpt from Steel Magnolias again. Then, answer the following questions:
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What elements in the excerpt show that this is a work of drama?
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Identify two examples of natural speech in the characters’ dialogue.
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Find one stage direction and explain its purpose in helping readers understand the action.
Drama as a literary genre is far more diverse and structured than its everyday associations suggest. Whether humorous or tragic, contemporary or historical, drama invites performers and audiences alike into a world where characters speak and act in real time, revealing their stories through dialogue and behavior. It is essential for performers to understand its format, language, and unique storytelling style.
It is essential to recognize the distinction between oral interpretation of drama and the performance of a traditional dramatic play. Dramatic plays typically involve the use of costumes, lighting cues, props, and deliberate staging. They also often feature multiple performers, each assuming a distinct character role.
In contrast, oral interpretation of drama relies more heavily on symbolic representation, imagery, and physical gestures to communicate meaning. A single performer may be required to portray multiple characters, and the performance is usually limited to the use of a black binder as the sole prop. Lighting is generally minimal, and costuming is often abstract rather than realistic.
In the chapters that follow, we will explore in greater depth the specific ways in which acting and oral interpretation diverge as performance practices.
Activity 2: Compare and Contrast Genres
Instructions: Use the chart below to compare drama, prose, and poetry. Fill in each section with how the genres differ in format, narration, and structure.
| Genre | Format | Use of Narrator | Structure (how it's organized) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | |||
| Prose | |||
| Poetry |