Language of Drama

As it was mentioned the third subdivision of the belles –letters style is the language of plays. The first thing to be said about the parameters of this variety of belles-letters is that unlike poetry, which except for ballads, in essence excludes direct speech and therefore dialogue, and unlike emotive prose, which is a combination of monologue and dialogue, the language of plays is entirely dialogue. The author’s speech is almost entirely excluded except for the playwright’s remarks and stage directions, significant though they may be. But the language of the characters is in no way the exact reproduction of the norms of colloquial language, although the playwright seeks to reproduce actual conversation as far as the norms of the written language will allow. Any variety of the belles-letters style will use the norms of the literary language of the given period. In every variety there will be found, as we have already shown, departures from the established literary norms. But in genuinely artistic work these departures will never go beyond the boundaries of the permissible fluctuations of the norms, lest the aesthetic aspect of the work should be lost. It follows then that the language of plays is always stylized, that is, it strives to retain the modus of literary English, unless the playwright has a particular aim, which requires the use of non literary forms and expressions.