INTRINSIC ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

Dialogue, Monologue,
Aside, and Soliloquy
DIALOGUE
 Dialogue is the conversation of two or more people
as represented in writing, in this case in a drama.
 Dialogue is important in forwarding action,
developing characters and intensifying a sense of
reality and immediacy (Morner & Rausch, 1991:55).
 A drama may give us talk and characters without
much action and strong characters.
 However, a drama cannot give us characters and
action without talk.
 Besides dialogue, a drama may contain the so-
called monologue, aside, and soliloquy.
 Dramatic dialogue includes sufficient background
information to fix the time, place, and circumstances of the
action.
 It takes the form of discussion, argument, or inquiry which
may accompany and clarify actions or simply reveal
attitudes and opinions.
 Thus, its function is to provide necessary factual
information, to characterize, to speculate, and to
foreshadow.
 Although dramatic dialogue intends to represent real life
dialogue, it never is the same with actual conversation.
 Unlike actual conversation, which is full of hesitations,
pauses, fragments, misunderstandings, and repetitions,
dramatic dialogue slash past trivial details and strike the
lure with vigor and directness.
 In drama, it is required a certain measured
rhythm, carefully speaking lines in turn and
incorporating brief pauses in the question-
response pattern so that each line can be
clearly heard by the audience.
 Dialogue is used by the characters to express

and share their feelings and/or ideas towards

the other characters and the audiences.
MONOLOGUE
 Monologue happens when Introduction, a
character speaks of his or her thoughts and
feelings to him/herself.
 It can directly address another character, or

speak to the audience.

SOLILOQUY AND ASIDE

 Soliloquy happens when a character in a play,

alone on a stage, speaks her thoughts aloud.
 Aside happens when a character speak briefly

to the audience, supposedly without being

heard by the other characters on stage.
EXERCISES
Answer the following questions:
1. Can we say that theatrical production without
dialogue, for examples mime and ballet, is a drama?
Explain your reason!
2. Do you know traditional puppet show (“Wayang
Kulit”, for example) performed by a puppeteer
(“Dalang”) who singlehandedly plays different roles?
Can we categorize such kind of show as a drama?
Explain your reason!
3. What is the difference between soliloquy and
monologue? In what way (s) do they enhance the
story line of a drama?