Drama Terms

Drama Terms

• What is drama?

1. Drama- a literary form that recreates human life and emotions; uses dialogue; a play.

• Writing the play:

2. Playwright- the author of a drama

3. Script- the play in written form

4. Blank verse- unrhymed line of iambic pentameter

5. Pun- a play on words that has more than one meaning, often has a serious meaning

6. Pathos- suffering or deep feeling; when an audience experiences sorrow or pity

7. epiphany- a spiritually uplifting time when a character recognizes his/her flaws

8. Catharsis- working through emotions

• The story the play tells:

8. Theme- main idea

9. Plot- series of events that support the theme

10. Protagonist- the main character; the hero

11. Antagonist- usually a bad person who opposes the main character

• The organization of a play:

12. Prologue- an introduction

13. Act-division of a play

14. Scene- division of an act

15. Stage directions- instructions on a script

16. Dialogue-the lines; what the characters say

17. Cue- a signal for an actor to speak

• The play on stage:

18. Actor- a person who plays a role in a drama

19. Character- a role played by an actor

20. Flat- forms a background for a play; backdrop; a piece of scenery or background

21. Props- anything used on the stage, except costumes and sets; stands for property

22. Set- flats, scenery, and props for a scene or act

23. Director- the person in charge of the performance

24. Green room- a place for the actors to relax

25. Motivation- whatever causes a person to act in a certain way.

• Dramatic conventions:

26. Aside- when a character speaks directly to the audience without being heard by the actors
27. Concealment- allows a character to be seen by the audience but remain hidden from the other actors
28. Soliloquy- when an actor speaks his/her thoughts aloud alone on stage (solo); a monologue

• Types of  drama:

29. Comedy- a drama where the hero wins; funny; white flag

30.  Tragedy-  a drama that lets the audience experience how the hero suffers but learns from his agony; a drama where the hero loses; sad; black flag
31. History- based on actual historical event or person; red flag

• Tragedy:

31. Tragic hero- a person born into nobility with the potential to be great, but the person has a tragic flaw which leads to making a serious error in judgment, resulting in the person’s death.

32.  Classic tragedy-  had three elements that create unity: time, place, and action
33. Shakespearean Tragedy- always has five acts

• Literary devices used by Shakespeare and other dramatists:

34. personification
35. simile
36. metaphor

37. Hyperbole-deliberate exaggeration or overstatement.
38. Satire-literary work that ridicules the foolishness and faults of individuals, an institution, or society.
39. Imagery-descriptive language to create word pictures.
40. Foreshadowing-clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.
41. Flashback-means by which author presents material that occurred earlier. May be memories, dreams, accounts of past events.
42. Irony-the expected or seemingly evident does not happen or is not said; a contradiction between what is said and what is meant.
43.  Foil- a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, and, in so doing, highlights various facets of the main character's personality.
44.  Allusion-a passing or casual reference
45. Dramatic irony- when a character’s words or actions carry a deeper meaning that even he/she does not understand; when the audience knows something that the actor doesn’t