Root of the Week: LOG (Friday)

Prologue, Monologue, Dialogue  (Noun)

Dramas of all kinds, whether on stage or on the screen, involve words (even silent films had written words appearing on the screen). Therefore, the root log appears in many words relevant to drama.  A prologue (from the Greek pro, before) is an introductory speech.  Shakespeare’s history play, Henry IV, Part II begins with the appearance of an actor named “Rumor” who is “painted full of tongues.”  Rumor tells the audience about all the false tales swirling around England at a time of political unrest.

Since Rumor’s speech is delivered by a single actor, it is a monologue (from mono meaning “single” or “alone”).  Sometimes a play will reveal what a character is thinking through dramatic monologue (Hamlet is rather famous for talking to himself a lot). In films that aim to be more naturalistic, we generally don’t see monologues delivered out loud but instead we get voice-overs, which are essentially the same thing.

Most often, dramas show us characters in conversation with others, a.k.a dialogue The Greek dia means “across” or “between,” and words exchanged between or among characters constitute dialogue. Sometimes we use the word dialogue to refer to any conversation, not just those in dramas.  When leaders or diplomats negotiate with one another, they are sometimes said to be “in dialogue” about the affairs of their nations.