ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character’s speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in character or out) or represent an unspoken thought.

Detailed explanation-2: -The definition of aside is when a character in a work of fiction addresses the audience directly for a moment to either express a truth, reveal a feeling, or comment on the events of the story. This device is commonly found in books, plays, television, and film.

Detailed explanation-3: -For example, when describing his would-be stepfather, Hamlet notes in an aside: A little more than kin and less than kind. This comment is directed to the audience as a co-conspirator in Hamlet’s plot.

Detailed explanation-4: -Definition of an Aside An aside is a device used in dramatic literature where a character speaks directly to the audience but usually goes unheard by the other characters onstage. Dramatists like Shakespeare use asides to bridge the gap between audience and the action onstage.