Drama Terminology Flashcards
A major division in the action of the play. The ends of ________ are typically indicated by lowering the curtain or turning up the houselights.
Act
Brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature.
Allusion
The character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist gives rise to the conflict of the story.
Antagonist
a speech direct to the audience that supposedly is not audible to the other characters on stage
Aside
a person presented in a dramatic narrative work
Character
the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader
Characterization
A work intended to interest, involve, and amuse the reader or audience. No terrible disaster. Ends happily
comedy
A humorous scene or incident that alleviates tension in an otherwise serious work
Comic Relief
A characteristic of a literary genre (often unrealistic) that is understood and accepted by audiences because it has come to be recognized as a familiar technique.
Convention
a turning point in the action of a story that has a powerful effect on the protagonist
Crisis
a type of informational diction
Dialect
“To do” or “To perform”; can refer to a single play or a group of plays
Drama
general term for a work of dramatic literature
Play
writer who makes plays
playwright
creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the read or audience member knows to be true
Dramatic Irony
the list of characters in a play
dramatis personae
when a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about himself/herself
epiphany
A character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character
Foil
The introduction early in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later
Foreshadowing
A sequence of words printed as a separate entity on the page
Line
a long speech delivered by one person who forgets or neglects the others who are there
Monologue
the main character of a narrative
Protagonist
a subdivision of an act
scene
the written text of a play, which includes the dialogue between characters, stage directions, and often other expository Information
Script
dramatic convention by means of which a character, alone onstage, utters his or her thoughts aloud. Used to inform the audience about a character’s motivation and state of mind
soliloquy
A playwright’s written instructions about how the actors are supposed to move and behave in a way.
stage directions
A story that presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure, defeat, and even death.
Tragedy
