Drama - (10% of Exam) Flashcards
1
Q
Aeschylus
A
Ancient Greek Tragedy – Known as the ‘Father of Tragedy,’ famous for The Oresteia.
2
Q
Sophocles
A
Ancient Greek Tragedy – Known for Oedipus Rex and Antigone.
3
Q
Euripides
A
Ancient Greek Tragedy – Wrote Medea, focused on strong female protagonists.
4
Q
Aristophanes
A
Ancient Greek Comedy – Known for Lysistrata and The Clouds.
5
Q
Seneca
A
Roman Tragedy – Influenced Renaissance drama with Phaedra.
6
Q
Terence
A
Roman Comedy – Known for elegant Latin comedies like The Brothers.
7
Q
Plautus
A
Roman Comedy – Known for The Menaechmi and Pseudolus.
8
Q
Hrotsvitha
A
Medieval Drama – A nun who wrote Christian adaptations of Roman comedies.
9
Q
Christopher Marlowe
A
Elizabethan Drama – Known for Doctor Faustus and Tamburlaine.
10
Q
William Shakespeare
A
Elizabethan/Jacobean Drama – Playwright of Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear.
11
Q
Ben Jonson
A
Elizabethan Drama – Known for satirical comedies like Volpone and The Alchemist.
12
Q
Molière
A
French Neoclassicism – Famous for comedies such as Tartuffe and The Misanthrope.
13
Q
Jean Racine
A
French Neoclassicism – Tragedian known for Phèdre.
14
Q
Pierre Corneille
A
French Neoclassicism – Playwright of Le Cid, helped shape French tragedy.
15
Q
Lope de Vega
A
Spanish Golden Age – Playwright of Fuenteovejuna.
16
Q
Pedro Calderón de la Barca
A
Spanish Golden Age – Known for Life is a Dream.
17
Q
Aphra Behn
A
Restoration Comedy – One of the first professional female playwrights, wrote The Rover.
18
Q
John Dryden
A
Restoration Drama – Known for heroic tragedy and All for Love.
19
Q
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
A
18th Century Comedy – Irish playwright known for The School for Scandal.
20
Q
Henrik Ibsen
A
19th Century Realism – Playwright of A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler.
21
Q
Anton Chekhov
A
19th Century Russian Realism – Known for The Cherry Orchard and The Seagull.
22
Q
August Strindberg
A
19th Century Naturalism/Expressionism – Playwright of Miss Julie.
23
Q
George Bernard Shaw
A
19th-20th Century Realism – Known for Pygmalion and Saint Joan.
24
Q
Oscar Wilde
A
19th Century Comedy of Manners – Playwright of The Importance of Being Earnest.
25
Eugene O’Neill
20th Century American Drama – Known for *Long Day’s Journey into Night*.
26
Tennessee Williams
20th Century American Drama – Playwright of *A Streetcar Named Desire*.
27
Arthur Miller
20th Century American Drama – Playwright of *The Crucible* and *Death of a Salesman*.
28
Samuel Beckett
Theatre of the Absurd – Known for *Waiting for Godot*.
29
Harold Pinter
20th Century British Drama – Known for *The Birthday Party*.
30
Jean-Paul Sartre
Existentialist Drama – Playwright of *No Exit*.
31
Jean Genet
Theatre of the Absurd – Known for *The Balcony* and *The Maids*.
32
Bertolt Brecht
Epic Theatre – Known for *The Threepenny Opera*.
33
Luigi Pirandello
Modernist Drama – Playwright of *Six Characters in Search of an Author*.
34
Eugène Ionesco
Theatre of the Absurd – Known for *The Bald Soprano* and *Rhinoceros*.
35
Federico García Lorca
20th Century Spanish Drama – Known for *Blood Wedding*.
36
Harvey Fierstein
Contemporary LGBTQ+ Drama – Known for *Torch Song Trilogy*.
37
David Mamet
Contemporary American Drama – Playwright of *Glengarry Glen Ross*.
38
August Wilson
20th Century African American Drama – Known for *Fences* and *The Piano Lesson*.
39
Lorraine Hansberry
20th Century African American Drama – Playwright of *A Raisin in the Sun*.
40
Suzan-Lori Parks
Contemporary African American Drama – Known for *Topdog/Underdog*.
41
Tony Kushner
Contemporary American Drama – Playwright of *Angels in America*.
42
Tom Stoppard
Postmodern Drama – Known for *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*.
43
Sarah Kane
In-Yer-Face Theatre – Known for *Blasted*.
44
Caryl Churchill
Contemporary Feminist Drama – Known for *Top Girls*.
45
Lynn Nottage
Contemporary African American Drama – Playwright of *Ruined* and *Sweat*.
46
Quiara Alegría Hudes
Contemporary Latinx Drama – Known for *Water by the Spoonful*.
47
Katori Hall
Contemporary African American Drama – Known for *The Mountaintop*.
48
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Contemporary African American Drama – Known for *An Octoroon*.
49
Dominique Morisseau
Contemporary African American Drama – Known for *Detroit '67*.
50
Jeremy O. Harris
Contemporary American Drama – Known for *Slave Play*.
51
Title
Details
52
The Oresteia
Author: Aeschylus
Time Period: Ancient Greek Tragedy
Synopsis: A trilogy (*Agamemnon*, *The Libation Bearers*, *The Eumenides*) exploring themes of justice, revenge, and divine will.
53
Oedipus Rex
Author: Sophocles
Time Period: Ancient Greek Tragedy
Synopsis: A king unknowingly fulfills a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother, leading to tragedy.
54
Antigone
Author: Sophocles
Time Period: Ancient Greek Tragedy
Synopsis: A young woman defies the king’s order to bury her brother, leading to a conflict between divine law and state law.
55
Medea
Author: Euripides
Time Period: Ancient Greek Tragedy
Synopsis: A woman takes revenge on her unfaithful husband by murdering their children.
56
Lysistrata
Author: Aristophanes
Time Period: Ancient Greek Comedy
Synopsis: A comedic play in which women withhold sex from men to end a war.
57
Phaedra
Author: Seneca
Time Period: Roman Tragedy
Synopsis: A retelling of the Greek myth where Phaedra falls in love with her stepson, leading to disaster.
58
Doctor Faustus
Author: Christopher Marlowe
Time Period: Elizabethan Drama
Synopsis: A scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power.
59
Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare
Time Period: Elizabethan Drama
Synopsis: A prince seeks revenge for his father’s murder while grappling with existential doubt.
60
Macbeth
Author: William Shakespeare
Time Period: Elizabethan Drama
Synopsis: A Scottish nobleman’s ambition leads to murder, madness, and downfall.
61
King Lear
Author: William Shakespeare
Time Period: Elizabethan Drama
Synopsis: A king divides his kingdom among his daughters, leading to betrayal and tragedy.
62
Volpone
Author: Ben Jonson
Time Period: Elizabethan Drama
Synopsis: A satire about greed and deception in Renaissance Venice.
63
Tartuffe
Author: Molière
Time Period: French Neoclassicism
Synopsis: A religious hypocrite deceives a nobleman’s family until exposed.
64
Phèdre
Author: Jean Racine
Time Period: French Neoclassicism
Synopsis: A queen falls in love with her stepson, leading to tragedy.
65
Le Cid
Author: Pierre Corneille
Time Period: French Neoclassicism
Synopsis: A Spanish knight must choose between honor and love.
66
Fuenteovejuna
Author: Lope de Vega
Time Period: Spanish Golden Age
Synopsis: A village unites to kill a cruel commander and refuses to betray the killer.
67
Life is a Dream
Author: Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Time Period: Spanish Golden Age
Synopsis: A prince is imprisoned at birth due to a prophecy, raising questions of fate and free will.
68
The Rover
Author: Aphra Behn
Time Period: Restoration Comedy
Synopsis: A comedy of mistaken identities and romance during a carnival in Naples.
69
The School for Scandal
Author: Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Time Period: 18th Century Comedy
Synopsis: A satire on gossip and hypocrisy in upper-class society.
70
A Doll’s House
Author: Henrik Ibsen
Time Period: 19th Century Realism
Synopsis: A woman realizes her marriage is stifling and leaves her family to find independence.
71
Hedda Gabler
Author: Henrik Ibsen
Time Period: 19th Century Realism
Synopsis: A woman trapped in a dull marriage manipulates those around her, leading to tragedy.
72
The Cherry Orchard
Author: Anton Chekhov
Time Period: 19th Century Russian Realism
Synopsis: A declining aristocratic family struggles to adapt to social change in Russia.
73
Miss Julie
Author: August Strindberg
Time Period: 19th Century Naturalism
Synopsis: An aristocratic woman has a doomed affair with her servant, highlighting class struggles.
74
Pygmalion
Author: George Bernard Shaw
Time Period: 19th-20th Century Realism
Synopsis: A phonetics professor transforms a flower girl into a lady, raising class and gender issues.
75
The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Time Period: 19th Century Comedy of Manners
Synopsis: A farcical comedy of mistaken identities and social satire.
76
Long Day’s Journey into Night
Author: Eugene O’Neill
Time Period: 20th Century American Drama
Synopsis: A semi-autobiographical play about a dysfunctional family’s struggles with addiction.
77
A Streetcar Named Desire
Author: Tennessee Williams
Time Period: 20th Century American Drama
Synopsis: A fragile woman’s illusions are shattered by the brutal reality of her brother-in-law.
78
Death of a Salesman
Author: Arthur Miller
Time Period: 20th Century American Drama
Synopsis: A failed salesman struggles with his dreams and self-worth in post-war America.
79
Waiting for Godot
Author: Samuel Beckett
Time Period: Theatre of the Absurd
Synopsis: Two men wait endlessly for someone named Godot, engaging in existential musings.
80
The Birthday Party
Author: Harold Pinter
Time Period: 20th Century British Drama
Synopsis: A seemingly ordinary birthday party turns menacing as past secrets surface.
81
No Exit
Author: Jean-Paul Sartre
Time Period: Existentialist Drama
Synopsis: Three damned souls are trapped in a room, realizing that 'Hell is other people'.
82
Mother Courage and Her Children
Author: Bertolt Brecht
Time Period: Epic Theatre
Synopsis: A woman profits from war but loses her children in the process.
83
Six Characters in Search of an Author
Author: Luigi Pirandello
Time Period: Modernist Drama
Synopsis: Unfinished characters interrupt a rehearsal, demanding their story be completed.
84
The Bald Soprano
Author: Eugène Ionesco
Time Period: Theatre of the Absurd
Synopsis: A nonsensical play that satirizes meaningless conversations and social rituals.
85
Blood Wedding
Author: Federico García Lorca
Time Period: 20th Century Spanish Drama
Synopsis: A tragic tale of forbidden love and vengeance in rural Spain.
86
Glengarry Glen Ross
Author: David Mamet
Time Period: Contemporary American Drama
Synopsis: A darkly comedic look at cutthroat real estate salesmen.
87
Fences
Author: August Wilson
Time Period: 20th Century African American Drama
Synopsis: A former baseball player’s bitterness affects his family’s future.
88
A Raisin in the Sun
Author: Lorraine Hansberry
Time Period: 20th Century African American Drama
Synopsis: An African American family in Chicago fights for a better life despite racism.
89
Angels in America
Author: Tony Kushner
Time Period: Contemporary American Drama
Synopsis: A complex, magical realist drama about AIDS, politics, and identity in the 1980s.
90
Blasted
Author: Sarah Kane
Time Period: In-Yer-Face Theatre
Synopsis: A brutal and shocking play that explores war, trauma, and human cruelty.
91
Top Girls
Author: Caryl Churchill
Time Period: Contemporary Feminist Drama
Synopsis: A critique of feminism and capitalism through a surreal dinner party of historical women.
92
Ruined
Author: Lynn Nottage
Time Period: Contemporary African American Drama
Synopsis: A harrowing story about women in war-torn Congo.
93
Water by the Spoonful
Author: Quiara Alegría Hudes
Time Period: Contemporary Latinx Drama
Synopsis: A story about addiction, family, and redemption across multiple storylines.
94
The Mountaintop
Author: Katori Hall
Time Period: Contemporary African American Drama
Synopsis: A fictionalized account of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night.
95
An Octoroon
Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Time Period: Contemporary African American Drama
Synopsis: A postmodern deconstruction of racial stereotypes in American theatre.
96
Detroit '67
Author: Dominique Morisseau
Time Period: Contemporary African American Drama
Synopsis: A family’s nightclub dreams are disrupted during the Detroit race riots.
97
Slave Play
Author: Jeremy O. Harris
Time Period: Contemporary American Drama
Synopsis: A controversial drama exploring race, power, and sexuality through provocative role-playing.
98
Movement
Details (Definition, Key Works, Figures)
99
Ancient Greek Tragedy
Definition: A dramatic genre that explores human suffering and fate, often featuring a tragic hero and intervention of the gods.
Key Works: *Oedipus Rex* (Sophocles), *Medea* (Euripides), *The Oresteia* (Aeschylus)
Key Figures: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides
100
Ancient Greek Comedy
Definition: A genre that used satire and humor to critique society and politics, often employing stock characters and exaggerated scenarios.
Key Works: *Lysistrata* (Aristophanes), *The Clouds* (Aristophanes)
Key Figures: Aristophanes
101
Roman Tragedy
Definition: Inspired by Greek tragedy but often darker and more violent, with themes of fate and revenge.
Key Works: *Phaedra* (Seneca)
Key Figures: Seneca
102
Roman Comedy
Definition: Lighthearted plays focused on mistaken identities, misunderstandings, and exaggerated characters.
Key Works: *The Menaechmi* (Plautus), *The Brothers* (Terence)
Key Figures: Plautus, Terence
103
Medieval Drama
Definition: Religious and moral plays performed in churches and public squares, often based on biblical stories or allegorical themes.
Key Works: *The Second Shepherds’ Play* (Anonymous)
Key Figures: Hrotsvitha
104
Elizabethan Drama
Definition: Flourished during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, known for complex characters, poetic language, and themes of power and fate.
Key Works: *Hamlet* (Shakespeare), *Doctor Faustus* (Marlowe), *Volpone* (Jonson)
Key Figures: Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson
105
French Neoclassicism
Definition: A highly structured form of drama following Aristotle’s unities of time, place, and action, emphasizing decorum and moral instruction.
Key Works: *Tartuffe* (Molière), *Phèdre* (Racine), *Le Cid* (Corneille)
Key Figures: Molière, Jean Racine, Pierre Corneille
106
Spanish Golden Age
Definition: A flourishing of Spanish theatre featuring complex plots, poetic dialogue, and themes of honor and destiny.
Key Works: *Fuenteovejuna* (Lope de Vega), *Life is a Dream* (Calderón de la Barca)
Key Figures: Lope de Vega, Pedro Calderón de la Barca
107
Restoration Comedy
Definition: A witty and satirical form of comedy popular after the English monarchy was restored, often focusing on sexual politics and social manners.
Key Works: *The Rover* (Aphra Behn), *The Country Wife* (William Wycherley)
Key Figures: Aphra Behn, John Dryden
108
19th Century Realism
Definition: A movement focusing on everyday life, psychological depth, and social issues, rejecting melodrama and idealism.
Key Works: *A Doll’s House* (Ibsen), *The Cherry Orchard* (Chekhov)
Key Figures: Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov
109
Theatre of the Absurd
Definition: A post-WWII movement that highlighted the meaningless of human existence through surreal, illogical dialogue and situations.
Key Works: *Waiting for Godot* (Beckett), *The Bald Soprano* (Ionesco)
Key Figures: Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Genet
110
Epic Theatre
Definition: Developed by Brecht, it aimed to engage the audience intellectually rather than emotionally, often using alienation techniques.
Key Works: *Mother Courage and Her Children* (Brecht)
Key Figures: Bertolt Brecht
111
Postmodern Drama
Definition: A movement rejecting traditional structures and embracing self-referential, fragmented, and experimental narratives.
Key Works: *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead* (Stoppard)
Key Figures: Tom Stoppard
112
Term
Definition
113
Tragedy
Definition: A dramatic genre that depicts the downfall of a protagonist due to fate, character flaws, or societal pressures.
114
Comedy
Definition: A genre of drama intended to amuse and often featuring misunderstandings, exaggerated characters, and happy endings.
115
Melodrama
Definition: A dramatic work that emphasizes exaggerated emotions, sensational action, and clear moral distinctions.
116
Farce
Definition: A comedy characterized by absurd situations, exaggerated physical humor, and improbable events.
117
Satire
Definition: A form of comedy that critiques individuals, institutions, or societal norms through irony and exaggeration.
118
Catharsis
Definition: The emotional release experienced by the audience through witnessing tragedy.
119
Dramatic Irony
Definition: A situation where the audience knows something the characters do not, creating tension or humor.
120
Monologue
Definition: A speech delivered by a single character, often revealing their thoughts and emotions.
121
Soliloquy
Definition: A type of monologue where a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud while alone on stage.
122
Aside
Definition: A brief remark by a character intended for the audience but unheard by the other characters on stage.
123
Exposition
Definition: The introduction of background information, such as setting, characters, and past events, at the beginning of a play.
124
Rising Action
Definition: The series of conflicts and complications that lead up to the climax of a drama.
125
Climax
Definition: The moment of highest tension or turning point in a play's narrative.
126
Falling Action
Definition: The events following the climax that lead to the resolution of the story.
127
Denouement
Definition: The final resolution of the play’s conflicts and loose ends.
128
Prologue
Definition: An introductory speech or section that provides context for the story.
129
Epilogue
Definition: A concluding speech or section that reflects on the events of the play.
130
Fourth Wall
Definition: The imaginary wall separating the audience from the action on stage, which is sometimes 'broken' by actors.
131
Blocking
Definition: The precise movement and positioning of actors on stage as directed by the playwright or director.
132
Stage Directions
Definition: Instructions in a script that guide actors on movement, tone, and interactions.
133
Subtext
Definition: The underlying meaning or intention behind a character’s dialogue and actions.
134
Suspension of Disbelief
Definition: The audience’s willingness to accept fictional elements as real within the context of a play.
135
Stock Characters
Definition: Stereotypical characters that appear frequently in drama, such as the clever servant or the foolish old man.
136
Ensemble
Definition: A cast of actors who work together as a unified group rather than focusing on individual leads.
137
Hamartia
Definition: The tragic flaw or mistake that leads to a protagonist's downfall in a tragedy.
138
Hubris
Definition: Excessive pride or arrogance that leads to a character’s downfall.
139
Anagnorisis
Definition: The moment when a character makes a critical discovery about their situation or identity.
140
Peripeteia
Definition: A sudden reversal of fortune, often leading from success to downfall in tragedy.
141
Chorus
Definition: A group of performers in Greek drama who comment on the action, often in song or verse.
142
Deus Ex Machina
Definition: A plot device where an unexpected power or event resolves a seemingly unsolvable problem.
143
Foil
Definition: A character who contrasts with another to highlight key qualities.
144
Motif
Definition: A recurring element, symbol, or theme within a play.
145
Metatheatre
Definition: A play that self-consciously comments on its nature as theatre or includes a play within a play.
146
Protagonist
Definition: The main character in a drama, often facing central conflicts.
147
Antagonist
Definition: The character or force opposing the protagonist.
148
Tragic Hero
Definition: A noble character whose downfall is caused by a tragic flaw or fate.
149
One-Act Play
Definition: A short play consisting of a single act without intermission.
150
Five-Act Structure
Definition: A traditional structure in classical and Shakespearean drama that follows exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
151
Realism
Definition: A dramatic style focused on lifelike representation of everyday events and characters.
152
Naturalism
Definition: A heightened form of realism that emphasizes environmental and social forces shaping characters.
153
Expressionism
Definition: A style that distorts reality to represent emotional and psychological states.
154
Absurdism
Definition: A genre that highlights the meaningless or irrational nature of human existence.
155
Epic Theatre
Definition: A form of drama, associated with Bertolt Brecht, that encourages critical reflection rather than emotional involvement.
156
Theatre of Cruelty
Definition: A movement led by Antonin Artaud that seeks to shock and provoke audiences through intense, sensory experiences.
157
Improvisation
Definition: Unscripted performance in which actors spontaneously create dialogue and action.
158
Commedia dell’Arte
Definition: A form of Italian masked theatre featuring improvised performances based on stock characters.
159
Stagecraft
Definition: The technical aspects of theatre production, including lighting, set design, and costumes.
160
Black Box Theatre
Definition: A flexible performance space with a simple, unadorned stage and seating arrangement.
161
Thrust Stage
Definition: A stage extending into the audience on three sides, allowing for greater intimacy with the actors.
