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Literature Unit 5: Drama

Plays are written to be performed. Dialogue and stage directions do the work that narration does in fiction.

Covers: Acts and scenes, dialogue, monologue, soliloquy, aside, tragedy and comedy, tragic hero and flaw

Study guide

Drama is literature written to be performed. Plays are divided into acts (major sections) and scenes (smaller units, often marked by a change of place or time). Shakespeare's tragedies typically have five acts. Stage directions, usually in italics or brackets, tell actors how to move and speak and describe setting, sound and lighting.

Dialogue is conversation between characters, and it carries most of a play's plot and characterization. A monologue is a long speech by one character to others on stage. A soliloquy is a speech by a character alone on stage voicing their private thoughts, like Hamlet's "To be or not to be," giving the audience access to inner conflict. An aside is a brief remark to the audience (or another character) that the other characters on stage don't hear, which often creates dramatic irony.

Tragedy shows the downfall of a main character, often a person of high status, and usually ends in death or ruin. Comedy tends to be lighter, involve confusion and misunderstandings, and end happily, often with marriages or reconciliation. Many plays mix the two, and comic relief, a humorous scene in a serious play, eases tension.

A tragic hero, as Aristotle described, is admirable but has a tragic flaw (hamartia), such as pride (hubris), ambition or indecision, that leads to their downfall. Key moments include a reversal of fortune and a recognition, when the hero realizes the truth. The audience experiences catharsis, a release of pity and fear. Examples include Oedipus, Macbeth and Hamlet.

Much classic drama is written in verse, so read to the punctuation, not the line ends. Know the older pronouns (thou and thee mean "you," and thy and thine mean "your"), and remember that one line of verse can be split between two speakers. In drama, characters reveal their goals and expectations mostly through what they say to others, and what they hide. Compare a character's public statements with their asides or soliloquies to judge their true intentions.

Dramatic irony is especially strong onstage: when the audience knows something a character doesn't, such as a plot or a disguise, ordinary lines take on a second, often ominous meaning.

Key ideas

• Plays are divided into acts and scenes.
• A soliloquy is a character speaking thoughts alone on stage; an aside is a quick remark to the audience.
• A monologue is a long speech to other characters.
• A tragic hero is admirable but has a fatal flaw (hamartia) that leads to downfall.
• Comedies usually end in harmony; tragedies end in loss.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Mixing up a soliloquy (alone) with a monologue (to others).
• Thinking a tragic hero is a villain.

Words to know

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character alone on stage voices their thoughts.

Aside

A brief remark to the audience that other characters don't hear.

Tragic flaw

A trait that leads to the hero's downfall (hamartia).

Stage directions

Instructions about action, setting and delivery.

Comic relief

A humorous scene that eases tension in a serious play.

Act / scene

Major and minor divisions of a play.

Dialogue

Conversation between characters.

Monologue

A long speech to other characters on stage.

Tragedy

A drama showing a main character's downfall.

Comedy (drama)

A lighter play that ends happily.

Tragic hero

An admirable character brought down by a flaw.

Hubris

Excessive pride, a common tragic flaw.

Catharsis

The audience's release of pity and fear.

Reversal and recognition

The hero's change of fortune and realization of the truth.

Sample practice questions

5 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.