understanding drama Flashcards
cleansing or purification of emotions, usually by empathizing with another’s problems
catharsis
group of twelve or more members who sang and danced as a part of their commentary about a play
chorus
an announcement, or commentary, about something to come
prologue
a humorous play on words
pun
a group or series of three plays or literary works related in theme or subject
trilogy
a group or series of three plays or literary works related in theme or subject
tragic hero
the main character who struggles throughout the play to accomplish his goals
protagonist
a long speech given by one actor or character; soliloquy
monologue
clown or prankster
buffoon
form of literature that imitates the style of other writings in a humorous manner
parody
who introduced costumed actors
Aeschylus
Who used involved plots and internal struggle
Sophocles
uses a monologue and his own version of myths
Euripides
What do we know about earliest drama
almost five thousand years old
no one knows the origin
perhaps used by early man to explain glorious deeds of heroes
What does drama do
acts as an emotional catharsis for the audience
expresses mankind’s feelings about himself
can be a form of social criticism
interprets mankind’s feelings about the divine
Greek comedy and tragedy arose from….
religious ceremonies and rites.
The first great Greek comedy writer was
Aristophanes
According to the text, the first aim of Greek comedy was to _____.
entertain
a type of figurative language involving a play on words using homonyms
pun
an amusing literary composition imitating the style of another work
parody
a literary work that aims to correct something by ridiculing it
satire
a narrative having two levels of meaning: a surface, or literal, meaning and an underlying or figurative meaning
allegory
the turning point of a play or story
crisis
the words written by the author for the characters to speak
dialogue
a device used to allow the audience to know something the characters do not know
dramatic irony
play containing ridiculous events or mockery, based on obviously humorous situations
farce
any type of writing with exaggerated emotional appeal; usually good struggles against evil
melodramatic
a play given without words; actors use gestures to convey the situation or story
pantomime
who used puns in his farces
Plautus
a Roman writer of tragedy
Seneca
a freed slave who wrote comedies
Terence
Roman comedy dealt mainly with which themes
love
misunderstanding
mistaken identity
deception
was essentially dormant outside the church
Drama from A.D. 500 to A.D. 900 _____.
A monologue or speech made while an actor is alone on stage is called a(n) _____.
soliloquy
A short speech directed to the audience and unheard by the other characters is called a(n) _____.
aside
