\Dra"ma\ (?; 277), n. [L. drama, Gr. ?, fr. ? to do, act;
cf. Lith. daryti.]
1. A composition, in prose or poetry, accommodated to action,
   and intended to exhibit a picture of human life, or to
   depict a series of grave or humorous actions of more than
   ordinary interest, tending toward some striking result. It
   is commonly designed to be spoken and represented by
   actors on the stage.
         A divine pastoral drama in the Song of Solomon.
                                               --Milton.
2. A series of real events invested with a dramatic unity and
   interest. ``The drama of war.'' --Thackeray.
         Westward the course of empire takes its way; The
         four first acts already past, A fifth shall close
         the drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is
         the last.                             --Berkeley.
         The drama and contrivances of God's providence.
                                               --Sharp.
3. Dramatic composition and the literature pertaining to or
   illustrating it; dramatic literature.
Note: The principal species of the drama are {tragedy} and
      {comedy}; inferior species are {tragi-comedy},
      {melodrama}, {operas}, {burlettas}, and {farces}.
{The romantic drama}, the kind of drama whose aim is to
   present a tale or history in scenes, and whose plays (like
   those of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and others) are stories
   told in dialogue by actors on the stage. --J. A. Symonds.