Shakespearean Play Terms

Question 1

a speech in which a character alone on stage reveals private thoughts and feelings that the audience is allowed to hear

Answer 1

soliloquy (long)

Question 2

a brief remark in which a character expresses private thoughts to the audience rather than to other characters

Answer 2

aside (short)

Question 3

shows the downfall or death of the tragic hero, emphasizes human greatness

Answer 3

tragedy

Question 4

main character with tragic flaw

Answer 4

tragic hero

Question 5

a mistaken action or defect in a character

Answer 5

tragic flaw

Question 6

a group of performers who comment on the action

Answer 6

chorus

Question 7

a happy ending, usually after an amusing series of predicaments, stresses the weaknesses of ordinary people or society

Answer 7

comedy

Question 8

background of the era in which the play is set or written

Answer 8

historical context

Question 9

the point of greatest tension

Answer 9

climax

Question 10

sequence of events

Answer 10

plot

Question 11

speeches of the characters that tell the story and are not the voice of the narrator

Answer 11

dialogue

Question 12

basic units of drama

Answer 12

acts

Question 13

the units that consist of acts

Answer 13

scenes

Question 14

author of a play

Answer 14

playwright

Question 15

the text of a play

Answer 15

script

Question 16

the constructions indicating where the drama takes place

Answer 16

sets

Question 17

movable objects that actors use onstage

Answer 17

props

Question 18

insight into life

Answer 18

theme

Question 19

struggle

Answer 19

conflict

Question 20

long, uninterrupted speech delivered by a character to other characters who are onstage but remain silent

Answer 20

monologue