Drama vs. Fiction

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Recommended: Differentiate between fiction and drama

The differences between drama and fiction are relatively small and there are many things that are similar between drama and fiction. This makes sense as they are both literary forms that are trying to pass stories along to the reader or watcher. These elements are the building blocks of any story and are pretty much required. Where drama and fiction differ though is what makes each one its own form.

Plots. A plot is needed for a good work of fiction and it is also needed for a good work of drama. Aristotle identified this as one of his six elements of drama. This is “what happens in a play; the order of events, the story as opposed to the theme; what happens rather than what it means” (Kentucky Shakespeare Festival). If you don’t reveal what has happened then you do not have a story, it’s just that simple. This is why Aristotle chose plot as a vital element of drama and why it is vital element of fiction as well. These events, of course, are related or happen to the main character. If the plot was just random happenings around the world people would become very bored very quickly. A great plot makes a great drama or piece of fiction.

Related to the plot are characters. The plot has to happen to someone and that someone is one of the characters. Drama writers have all the tools and processes with characters that fiction writers have. They can have major, minor, round, ones that are antagonists, and ones that are protagonists. Characters can draw people in to the plot as they become emotionally attached to them. This is same between drama and fiction except that with drama people can be influenced by the actor portraying the character. When people read fiction the characters become extensions of themselves as they use their frame...

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...urprised if a person today has not seen a drama on television. Drama is on the oldest form of literary works and by looking at the amount of programming on television it is still popular today.

In summary we see that there are many elements shared between drama and fiction. Although when you look at the things that are shared between them, you can make a case that plot, characters, and theme are shared between any literary works. The differences are readily apparent between them though. The fact that dramas are meant to be acted out is the basis for many of the differences. Staging and pacing are great examples of the major differences between them. Staging presents the whole visual spectacle to you and why I think that people are drawn to drama whether it is a play or a television show. These differences are what makes drama a separate and distinct literary type.

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