Literature Glossary

Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.

Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.

Scene

Definition:

A plot, in any form of literature, is made up of scenes.

In drama, it's the subdivision of an act. Usually, it's defined by having a single setting and a certain set of characters.

Of course a scene can also refer more loosely to a series of events within a certain amount of time in a work of literature—a conversation between two characters, the climactic battle at the end of a war, or even just the protagonist getting out of bed in the morning.