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Difficulty: MediumDramatic Devices and Conventions

Read the dramatic excerpt below:

[Scene: The council hall of Aiyetoro. CHIEF EDO and TADE stand near the entrance.]
CHIEF EDO: We must pledge our full allegiance to the new governor if our village is to prosper.
TADE: (Turning to the audience, while Chief Edo looks away) He speaks of prosperity, yet his pockets bulge with the governor's bribe.
CHIEF EDO: What do you mutter under your breath, Tade?
TADE: (Facing Chief Edo directly) Only that your wisdom, Chief, is as vast as the ocean.

In the excerpt above, Tade's brief remark spoken directly to the audience while another character is on stage is an example of which dramatic convention?

  1. an asideAnswer
  2. B
    a soliloquy
  3. C
    dramatic irony
  4. D
    a tragicomedy

Answer

The dramatic convention illustrated is an aside.
An aside is a theatrical convention where a character delivers a short commentary directly to the audience that remains inaudible to other characters present on stage. Tade's remark about Chief Edo's bribe fits this definition exactly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the speaker's delivery and stage positioning in the excerpt.
Tade speaks directly to the audience while Chief Edo is present on stage and remains unaware of the statement.
Identifying the target audience and physical context of the utterance helps determine the theatrical device.
2
Distinguish between speech conventions delivered to the audience.
Because Tade makes a short comment to the audience while sharing the stage with another character, it functions as an aside rather than a soliloquy.
Soliloquies require the character to be alone on stage, whereas an aside is delivered alongside other characters.

Key Concept

Aside vs Soliloquy and Dramatic Conventions
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Topics

Dramatic Devices and Conventions

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