When a character has agency, it signifies that they are actively involved in the play rather than just acting as a passive audience member. Through their actions and choices, the character has the power to affect how the story turns out. In other words, the play’s plot is advanced by people who have agency.
In a drama, there are various kinds of agency, and each kind is distinguished by the degree of influence a character has over their surroundings. Personal agency, proxy agency, collective agency, structural agency, and discursive agency are the five different types of agency.
Personal agency is the capacity of a single character to choose and do things that have an impact on their own existence within the play. On the other side, proxy agency refers to a character being given agency by another force or character in the play. When a group of characters cooperate to decide and do things that move the plot forward, this is known as collective agency. When a character’s agency within the play is constrained by social, economic, or political frameworks, this is known as structural agency. Finally, discursive agency refers to the influence of language and discourse inside the play on a character’s agency.
It’s critical to comprehend a character’s sort of agency in order to comprehend their place in the play and how they add to the larger story. Understanding the power relationships and interactions between characters is also helpful.
In a play, a character’s ability to decide what to do and how to do it might have an impact on the plot. It is what enables characters to take an active role in the narrative and move it along. The degree of influence a character has over their circumstances defines the many sorts of agency. grasp character dynamics and their function in the larger narrative requires a grasp of agency.
Agency in discourse analysis refers to a person’s or a group’s ability to act and make decisions in social circumstances. It has to do with the ability and sway that individuals or groups has over social norms and speech. Language, actions, and other types of social behavior can all be used to represent agency, which is frequently affected by larger social structures and power dynamics.
The ability of female characters to make their own decisions and perform acts that have an impact on the story and their own lives, as opposed to just being passive objects or supporting characters, is referred to as female agency in literature. This involves having the capacity to question conventional gender roles and expectations, pursue their own objectives, and assert their independence and autonomy. It is a significant component of feminist literature and is frequently used to examine problems with power dynamics and social hierarchies.