definitions Flashcards
antagonist
a person who is opposed, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent
asides
a way from one’s thoughts or consideration
analepsis
“flashing back” to an earlier point in the story
dialogue
a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film
dramatic irony
when the audience know something the characters in the play do not
monologue
a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolising a conversation
narrative gap
missing pieces of the story - a gap between what the narration allows the audience to know at a specific time and the actual story
protagonist
the leading character, hero or heroine of a drama or other literary work
plastic theatre
the use of props or staging to impress upon the audience more abstract ideas - the is often very blatant and unrealistic (used to evoke the internal world of a character)
prolepsis
“flashing forward” to a moment later in chronological order of events
realism
accurate depiction of everyday life in the setting and dialogue
soliloquy
an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to him/herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present (often used as a device in drama to disclose a character’s innermost thoughts)
stage directions
an instruction in the text of a play indicating the movement, position or tone of an actor, or sound effects and lighting
semantic field
a lexical set of semantically related items
structural irony
irony that implies to the overall work, typically through a naive hero or unreliable narrator, whose view of the world differs widely from true circumstances recognised by the author or the readers
syndetic listing
a listing connected by a conjuction
taciturn
reserved or uncommunicative speech
Climax
Moment of heightened tension
Declarative
Statement
Exposition
Back story/past events
Interrogative
Question
Kinesics
Facial gestures/expressions
Proxemics
Positioning on stage/interaction
Symbolism
One thing that represents something (s) else
Syntax
How the dramatists craft the language to get a response
Term of address
Way you refer to someone
Vocal choices
Volume/pace/tone/pause/elongation
Imperative
An authoritative command
noun
a word used to identify any class of people, places, or things
verb
a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence
adverb
a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and often used to show degree, manner, place, or time (describes a verb)
adjective
a word naming an attribute of a noun
assonance
rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words
sibilance
the stressing of consonants using hissing sounds
anagnorisis
the point in a plot - especially a tragedy - at which the protagonist recognises their own or other’s true identity or the true nature of their situation
accommodation theory
how we adapt our language to particular social situations
catharsis
the purging of emotions or relieving of emotional tensions
denouement
the final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved
harmartia
a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of the tragic hero/heroine
hubris
excessive pride or self confidence
idiolect
the speech habits particular to an individual formed by where they live, education, family, class ect
malcontent
dissatisfied and complaining or rebellious
non sequitur
a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow the pervious argument or statement
pathos
a quality that evokes pity or sadness
peripeteia
a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances
sociolect
the distinctive language of a particular social group
equivocates
use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth
penitential
feeling sorrow for one’s sins
tragedy
A story in which the protagonist causes their own downfall
