Third Quarter Quest Flashcards
Exposition
first part of any drama/comedy; includes preliminary situation; establishes atmosphere/mood, setting (where and when), leading characters, situations and conflicts
Three Old Funny Dead Guys/Three Greatest Writers of Comedy
Shakespeare of England
Moliere of France
Bernard Shaw of Ireland
preliminary situation
that’s the stuff that went on in the lives of the players before the play ever begins
Plot
the series of events that take place as the audience watches; the development, and then the resolution of the major conflict
Plot as a drawing
preliminary situation, inciting/initial incident, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion, (maybe denoument)
Denoument
“the unravelling of a knot”: explains solution at the end of a mystery
Characters
people who (hopefully!) hold audience’s interest throughout the play; must be kept true to time, social class, community, and experience
What is a character’s development demonstrated mostly through?
words and actions
Theme
the “message” or “abstracted intellectual content” of the play or movie; the specific idea that gives unity and purpose to everything that happens; left to audience’s interpretation; not moral of the story
example of obvious theme (also in the title)
You Can’t Take It With You
example of leading character speaking the theme
Don Quixote (in Man of La Mancha): “Too much sanity may be madness, but the maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
Ha! Ha! Happy ending.
comedy
clever, witty dialogue; usually about the upper class of society
Comedy of Manners
serious play about serious subject
drama
serious play about serious subject; heavy emphasis on emotions
sentimental drama
