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Difficulty: MediumDramatic Techniques and Devices

Read the dramatic extract below and answer the question that follows:

[Setting: Inside the council chamber. KING ADUN and LORD BOMA are standing together examining a map at a table. CHIEF EKE steps toward the front of the stage, away from them, and speaks.]

CHIEF EKE: Let them plot their grand strategy; by sunset, my mercenaries will hold the city gates, and neither lord shall wear the crown.
[Chief Eke steps back to rejoin the council.]

Which dramatic technique is demonstrated by Chief Eke's speech in this scene?

  1. AsideAnswer
  2. B
    Soliloquy
  3. C
    Dramatic Irony
  4. D
    Hubris

Answer

Aside
The correct answer is the aside. An aside is a dramatic convention in which a character speaks directly to the audience to share private thoughts or motives while other characters remain on stage but are conventionally understood to be unable to hear the speech.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stage setup and presence of characters
King Adun and Lord Boma are present on stage alongside Chief Eke.
Identifying whether a character is alone or accompanied determines the stage convention being used.
2
Examine the delivery and target audience of Chief Eke's speech
Chief Eke steps away from the other characters to reveal secret plans directly to the audience.
A brief speech intended solely for the audience while other characters remain on stage defines an aside.
3
Differentiate aside from soliloquy and other devices
Since Chief Eke is not alone on stage, the speech cannot be a soliloquy.
Soliloquies require the character to be alone on stage (or acting as if completely alone).

Key Concept

Dramatic Techniques: Aside vs Soliloquy
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Dramatic Techniques and Devices

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