WHAT IS THE THEATRICAL PARLIAMENT? TYPES AND IMPORTANCE - LITERATURE - 2025

The theatrical parliament is the section of a libretto that will be performed by one of the actors in the play. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, the parliament in a play is a fairly extensive spoken intervention by one of the characters.

Parliaments can also be interpreted by a third-person narrator (voice-over, for example).

A play

Each intervention sets the tone for events, giving meaning to the plot of the story. Therefore, the theatrical parliament is the main component of the script.

In turn, the theatrical script is the text that contains the details of each scene, including details about the scenery or the actors' clothing.

Types of theatrical parliament

In a theater function there are three types of parliaments: dialogue, monologue and aside.

1- Dialogue

It consists of exchanging ideas during the role play. It is a fluid conversation between two or more characters.

2- Monologue

It is a conversation of a character with himself. Monologues simulate a thought aloud from the performer, allowing them to express their inner voice in front of the audience.

3- Apart

It is a phrase or word isolated from the dialogues between the characters in the play; in this case, the parliament is addressed directly to the audience.

When making an aside, it is taken for granted that the rest of the characters on stage are not participants in this intervention.

Forms of interpretation

Verbal manifestations within plays can develop in many ways. In the first instance, the speeches can be interpreted directly by the actors or actresses of the play.

If the actors are on stage, they are called “in” parliaments. If, on the contrary, the parliaments take place outside the visible field of the audience, they are called “off” parliaments.

You can also see parliaments outside the main script of the play. These types of parliaments are known as overlapping parliaments or "over" parliaments.

Overlapping parliaments are delivered by an omniscient third person; that is, a presenter or commentator who is not part of the main cast.

This narrator is generally aware of everything that happens in the play, and intervenes in a humorous or reflective way at some point in the performance.

In the same way, theatrical parliaments can be presented in the form of auxiliary resources for the plot, such as the use of multimedia resources or the projection of slides.

Additional narratives, such as reading emails or letters, newspaper articles, messages or written notes, also fall into this section.

Importance

The parliament constitutes each and every one of the pieces that are part of the theatrical script and, consequently, is key in shaping the body of the work.

Linguistic expressions are present in various forms: dialogues, monologues, aside, titles immersed in the scenography, the narration of a third person, etc. Each and every one of these manifestations weave together the main story.

References

1. Dictionary of the Spanish Language (2017). Parliament. Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from: dle.rae.es
2. Dictionary (2011). Mexico DF, Mexico. Recovered from: baulteatro.com
3. The theater II: The theatrical text (2014). Classroom project. Recovered from: lenguayliteratura.org
4. Motos, T. (2005). Elements for the creation of a dramatic text. Recrearte Magazine, University of Valencia. Valencia Spain. Recovered from: iacat.com
5. Pérez, J., and Gardey, A. (2012). Definition of Theater Script. Recovered from: definicion.de