Scene (drama)

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For the use of the term "scene" in motion picture, see Scene (film). For other uses, see Scene (disambiguation).

In drama, a scene is a unit of action, often a subdivision of an act.

French scene[edit]

A "French scene" is a scene in which the beginning and end are marked by a change in the presence of characters onstage, rather than by the lights going up or down or the set being changed.[1]

Obligatory scene[edit]

From the French scène à faire, an obligatory scene is a scene (usually highly charged with emotion) which is anticipated by the audience and provided by an obliging playwright. An example is Hamlet 3.4, when Hamlet confronts his mother.[2]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ George, Kathleen (1994) Playwriting: The First Workshop, Focal Press, ISBN 978-0-240-80190-2, p. 154
  2. ^ Cuddon, J. A. (1998). "obligatory scene". In C. E. Preston. The Penguin Dictionary Literary Terms and Literary Terminology. London: Penguin. p. 606. ISBN 9780140513639.