Fourth wall: Difference between revisions

{{Quote|If you need instructions on how to get through the hotels, check out the enclosed instruction book.|Mario|Hotel Mario}}

Sometimes, characters from the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] perform an action that implies that they are aware that they are fictional characters. This is known as breaking the '''{{wp|fourth wall}}''', a phrase originating from stageplays. Because traditional {{wp|Box set (theatre)|box set}} stages have a wall at the back and another on each side, an imaginary "fourth wall" at the front turns the stage, and thereby the world of the story, into an enclosed space separate from the audience. The term is used, in many forms of media even beyond theater, to refer to a separation between the fictional characters and setting, and the work of fiction as it's experienced by the audience. As such, when the former acknowledges the latter, the metaphorical fourth wall is broken.