Here are some key aspects of dramatic time:
1. Selective Representation: Dramatic time is selective and focused, presenting only the most significant moments or events relevant to the story. Irrelevant or unimportant details are often omitted to streamline the narrative and maintain audience engagement.
2. Manipulation and Compression: Playwrights and filmmakers can compress time to accelerate the pace of the story, or expand it to create a sense of slowness or lingering impact. This manipulation of time can heighten dramatic tension and emotional intensity.
3. Flashback and Foreshadowing: Dramatic time often utilizes flashback scenes to provide background information or insights into characters' pasts, or uses foreshadowing to hint at future events. These techniques create a sense of continuity and anticipation.
4. Parallel Plots and Intercutting: In complex narratives, multiple storylines may unfold concurrently, and the playwright or filmmaker can intercut between them to create a sense of simultaneous action and increase the dramatic effect.
5. Temporal Shifts: Some plays or films may employ time shifts or leaps, jumping forward or backward in time to move the story along. These shifts can disorient the audience or create a sense of mystery.
6. Psychological Time: Dramatic time can also reflect the subjective experience of time by characters. For instance, intense emotional moments may be perceived as "slow motion," while mundane periods may feel like they drag on endlessly.
7. Catharsis and Resolution: In the context of Aristotle's theory of drama, dramatic time is tied to the concept of catharsis – the emotional release experienced by the audience. The building up of tension and its eventual resolution through the climax and dénouement is integral to dramatic time.
Overall, dramatic time is a flexible and nuanced concept used in storytelling to create a sense of rhythm, pacing, and emotional impact. It allows playwrights and filmmakers to craft narratives that transcend real-world time constraints and immerse audiences in the complexities and emotions of the dramatic world.