title role
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The role of the character after whom a play, film, or other dramatic work is named: The "title role" refers to the specific part or character in a dramatic work whose name is used as the title of that work. This character is typically, but not always, the central protagonist.
Usage
- The term "title role" is used primarily in the context of theater, film, and television to identify the character whose name forms the title.
- It is a countable noun, often used with the definite article "the" (e.g., ).
- It can be used with verbs like , , , or .
Examples
- Noun:
- She won an Oscar for playing the title role in 'Elizabeth'.
- The actor was nervous about taking on the title role in 'Hamlet'.
- Who will star in the title role for the new 'Macbeth' production?
Advanced Usage
- "to play the title role": This is the most common collocation, meaning to perform as the character the work is named after.
- He is best known for playing the title role in the long-running TV series 'Doctor Who'.
- The concept can extend to operas, musicals, and even some narrative-driven video games or book series adaptations.
Variants and Related Words
- Lead role / Leading role (n): The main part in a performance. While the title role is often the lead, it is not an absolute rule. A work can be named after a character who is not the protagonist.
- Eponymous role (n): A more formal synonym for "title role," directly derived from the word "eponym" (a person after whom something is named).
- She made her debut in the eponymous role of 'Anna Karenina'.
Synonyms
- Eponymous role: The role of the character whose name is the title of the work. (More formal, used in literary and critical contexts.)
Notes on Meaning
- The "title role" is defined by the naming of the work, not necessarily by the character's importance to the plot. For example, in the play , both Romeo and Juliet could be considered title roles, as the title contains both names. In , the title role is Julius Caesar, even though he is assassinated early in the play and is not the main protagonist (Brutus is).
Noun
- the role of the character after whom the play is named