dramatis personae
/ˌdramətɪs pəːˈsəʊnʌɪ
/ /ˌdramətɪs pəːˈsəʊniː/plural noun [treated as singular or plural]
The characters of a play, novel, or narrative: he has little gift for bringing his dramatis personae to life...
- His edition also regularized the entrances and exits of characters and attached a dramatis personae to each play for the first time.
- Putting together preliminary notes for his dramatis personae, Trollope jotted down the following thumbnail sketches.
- It is hard to assess performances when the dramatis personae are so unpersonable, unbelievable, and, above all, unmemorable.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from Latin, literally 'persons of the drama'.