Dramatis Personae

Dramatis personae in English

Although no concrete dates are available, the dramatis personae is believed to have been first utilised in the English language in the 1700s. While the device originated for use in plays, it has since spread to fiction, like novels and even cinema.

You may be the most familiar with the dramatis personae in the works of William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616). Nearly every version of Shakespeare's plays features a list of characters that aid our understanding of the action to follow.

The dramatis personae is more than just a character list. It typically shows both the characters' profession and their relationships with each other, providing the necessary context for the audience to understand the interactions taking place.

Dramatis personae example

Let's look at some examples of the dramatis personae and explore some of the different features they typically include.

Macbeth (1623)

Let's begin with a look at a dramatis personae created for Shakespeare's Macbeth (1623).

This example provides insight into the type of organisational approach taken to the dramatis personae. The characters are grouped into male and female and ranked in order of their position.

While some editors may prefer to put Macbeth at the top of the dramatis personae, placing Duncan, the King of Scotland, first in line indicates the hierarchy of the play. Men who are similar in rank, no matter how critical they are to the narrative, are also placed together. Macduff and Caithness are both grouped as 'Noblemen' despite Macduff being one of the play's most important characters.

In this way, the dramatis personae can be the first indicator to a reader of the social and political context they need to be aware of to better understand the narrative. It also ensures that characterisation and action unfold naturally and that the reader holds fewer expectations as to who will play an important role in the narrative's development.

Beaux Stratagem (1707)

Take a look at this exciting, original dramatis personae from George Farquhar's Beaux Stratagem, which opened on the 8th March 1707 at The Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

Fig 1 - Beaux Stratagem Dramatis Personae

You'll first notice that Farquhar's dramatis personae features considerably more information than the previous example. The creator of the personae has categorised the cast by gender, and has provided information about the character's personalities. For instance, Lady Bountiful is described as 'foolishly fond of her Son Sullen', while Sullen is described as 'brutal to his wife'.

This additional description is an interesting change from the previous example, as an audience watching Macbeth would have little idea which characters (aside from Macbeth himself) were instrumental to the plot. In contrast, Farquhar provides the audience with character information that will allow the audience to form key judgements before the play has even begun. The playwright has also included a cast list to the right of the dramatis personae, with a different actor playing each character.

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

Although the term 'dramatis personae' isn't used as regularly today, we actually see a version of the dramatis personae in the end credits every time we watch a movie. Take a look at this snippet of Alan Parker's Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982):

Fig 2 - In Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) Sir Bob Geldof's name is front and centre. What could this tell us about celebrity culture?

It'll strike you just how closely these end credits resemble the dramatis personae of both Macbeth and Beaux Stratagem. However, you may notice that the actors' names here are now in a larger font than that of the characters they play. Could this offer us any insight into modern celebrity culture? Perhaps it implies that contemporary audiences are increasingly interested in the actors instead of the characters they play. What do you think?

Dramatis personae poetry

The use of the dramatis personae does not commonly extend to poetry. They often feature a single narrator over multiple key characters. Poems are also frequently vague, metaphorical, and symbolic, meaning the genre does not lend well to descriptive character lists that aid understanding.

Although not related directly to the literary device, Robert Browning's (1812-1889) poetry collection, Dramatis personae (1864), includes a varied range of narrators that reveal their unique personas to the reader through lengthy soliloquies.