n. [ L. drama, Gr. dra^ma, fr. dra^n to do, act; cf. Lith. daryti. ] 1. A composition, in prose or poetry, accommodated to action, and intended to exhibit a picture of human life, or to depict a series of grave or humorous actions of more than ordinary interest, tending toward some striking result. It is commonly designed to be spoken and represented by actors on the stage. [ 1913 Webster ] A divine pastoral drama in the Song of Solomon. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A series of real events invested with a dramatic unity and interest. “The drama of war.” Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ] Westward the course of empire takes its way;
The four first acts already past,
A fifth shall close the drama with the day;
Time's noblest offspring is the last. Berkeley. [ 1913 Webster ] The drama and contrivances of God's providence. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. Dramatic composition and the literature pertaining to or illustrating it; dramatic literature. [ 1913 Webster ] ☞ The principal species of the drama are tragedy and comedy; inferior species are tragi-comedy, melodrama, operas, burlettas, and farces. [ 1913 Webster ]
The romantic drama, the kind of drama whose aim is to present a tale or history in scenes, and whose plays (like those of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and others) are stories told in dialogue by actors on the stage. J. A. Symonds.
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