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University of AlQadisiyaCollege Of EducationDepartment of
University of Al-Qadisiya
College Of Education
Department of English
M.A. Programme

Language in Modern Drama

A Paper submitted by
Hayder Gebreen Kadhim

Supervised by:
Assist. Professor Mithal Madlool Chellab

2014

Introduction Drama employs language to present a story or series of events intended to be performed Drama as a literary genre is realized in performance, which is why it describes as “staged art”. As a literary form, it is designed for the theatre because characters are assigned roles and they act out their roles as the action is enacted onstage. These characters can be human beings, dead or spiritual beings, animals, or abstract qualities. Modern Drama is an adaptation, recreation and reflection of reality on stage. Generally, the word, dramatist is used for any artist who is involved in any dramatic composition either in writing or in performance. In fact, Drama is different from other genres of literature. It has unique characteristics that have come about in response to its peculiar nature. Really, it is difficult to separate drama from performance because during the stage performance of a play, drama brings life experiences realistically to the audience. It is the most concrete of all genres of literature. In drama, the characters/actors talk to among them or to themselves and react to issues according to the impulse of the moment. Drama is therefore presented in dialogue. Drama, therefore, uses language in the form of dialogue or gesture to present or to re-present an action. Characters are used to present the story. However, this paper deals with one of the basic elements of drama which makes drama unique genre that is its language.

Language: as an Element of drama Language in drama is the particular manner of verbal expression, the diction or style of writing, or the speech or phrasing that suggests a class or profession or type of character. Language seems to be the most essential



Bibliography: Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms.New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Brocket, Oscar G.Theatre: An Introduction. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1974. Esslin,Martin. The Theatre of the Absurd. USA: MIT, 1960. Galens, David. Drama for Students. USA: Gale, 2009. Iwuchukwu, Chinweikpe. Mastery of Literature.Vol. 3.Lagos:MacckhoRicckho Press, 2001. Iwuchukwu,Onyeka. Elements of Drama, A.R. Yesufu, ed. Nigeria: National Open University of Nigeria, 2008. Milne, Ira Mark, ed. Literary Movements for Students, 2nd ed. USA Gale, 2009. Scholes, R. and C. H. Klaus. Elements of Drama. New York: Oxford University Press,1971. Shaw, George Bernard, Candida (USA: An Electronic Classics Series Publication, 2003). Yesufu,A.R.,ed. Elements of Drama. Nigeria: National Open University of Nigeria, 2008.

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