Poetry/Drama Terms Flashcards
Meter
the rhythmic pattern in poetry
Ballad
a poem in short stanzas, passed through generations, usually oral, tells a story
Ode
lyrical poem to address a particu subject - usually a strong feeling of love for the subject.
Sonnet
Poem with 14 lines and a formal rhyme scheme. Made famous by Shakespeare.
Haiku
A Japanese poem with 17 syllables, 3 lines with 5, 7, 5 syllables, usually about nature
Prologue
an introductory section of a literary work or drama (It’s sort of before the story starts)
Epilogue
a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment or conclusion to what has happened (like when the book is over, then they tell you what happened 20 years later)
Aside
a remark that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by the characters on stage
Monologue
a long speech by one actor
Soliloquy
a character speaking his/her thoughts aloud to him/herself in a play
rhythm
measured flow of words or phrases in poetry (it’s the beat to which you say the poem)
rhyme scheme
an ordered pattern of rhyme in a poem. (aabb ccdd)
stanza
group of lines in a poem (like paragraphs in poetry)
drama
a play for the theater or tv
poem
a piece of writing that is typically rhythmic, metaphorical, and often has meter and rhyme
stage directions
instructions in the text of a play that are not spoken when performed (things telling actors where to move, how to stand or sit, what tone to use when saying the line, lighting, etc)
Scene
the parts of a play that are performed as one piece - when it changes the curtains close and they change the scene)
Act
The main division of a play (frequently in two halves)
Dialogue
spoken words between characters
Chorus
A group of performers who comment on the main action of the play
Narrator
Person who delivers commentary accompanying a play
Iambic Pentameter
a line of poetry with 5 metrical feet each containing a short (unstressed) syllable followed by one long (stressed syllable)
(so 10 total syllables)
