Unit 3

Question 1

arena stage

Answer 1

A stage that is set in the middle of the audience in order to allow the audience to feel close to the action and characters on the stage.

Question 2

concatenation

Answer 2

To link together in a series or chain.

Question 3

conflict

Answer 3

The opposition that shapes and motivates the plot’s action. It is also when words combine to create unpleasant sounds.

Question 4

denouement

Answer 4

The “tune” of a poetic line when it’s read aloud. It is often used in modern poetry to replace formal meter.

Question 5

dramatic climax

Answer 5

The uncertainty and anxiety of the crisis leads to the climax, where the tension peaks. It is the third stage of Freytag’s Pyramid.

Question 6

exposition

Answer 6

The beginning or opening part of a play in which the characters, setting, time and situation are introduced. It is the first stage of Freytag’s Pyramid.

Question 7

falling action

Answer 7

The downward slope from the climax that forestalls the play’s end. This is where issues are resolved.

Question 8

flashback

Answer 8

To return the reader to an earlier moment in the story as a way of explaining or setting up the plot’s action.

Question 9

foreshadowing

Answer 9

To reveal action that might happen in the future.

Question 10

Freytag’s Pyramid

Answer 10

A play’s structure can be described by Freytag’s Pyramid. Outlined by German novelist and critic Gustav Freytag (1816 – 1895), this format features six conditions: 1) Exposition 2) Rising Action 3) Dramatic Climax 4) Falling Action 5) Technical Climax and 6) Denouement.

Question 11

Henrik Ibsen

Answer 11

Henrik Ibsen (1828 – 1906) was born in Skien, Norway. He is considered to be the father of modern drama. From 1877 – 1890, Ibsen composed plays that challenged the conventions and morality of middle-class society and raised unorthodox questions about previously secreted issues.

Question 12

plot

Answer 12

The arrangement of relevant or important events in a story.

Question 13

proscenium stage

Answer 13

A stage that functions as an illuminated box. The audience sits in a darkened, usually fan-shaped theater, and looks through an arch into the stage. Sometimes, there is a runway, or apron, that juts out from the middle of the stage, beyond the curtain.

Question 14

realism

Answer 14

Realism, as a theatrical style, developed in the 1860s in Europe. Realistic conventions depend on the separation of the audience from the actors. In realistic theater, the set reveals the setting in which lives have been formed.

Question 15

rising action

Answer 15

After the play’s situation and characters have been introduced, the drama commences as characters face overwhelming difficulties. Conflicts build as characters strive toward some sort of resolution to their conflicts. Suspense builds and crises occur. Incipient action is the first concrete indication that conflict will develop. Rising action is the second stage of Freytag’s Pyramid.

Question 16

setting

Answer 16

The time and place of a story.

Question 17

stage direction

Answer 17

Reveals what the setting and props might look like, as well as helps the audience imagine the character’s movements, gestures, facial expressions, and vocal intonations.

Question 18

technical climax

Answer 18

The point of the story at which no other action is possible. Here, conflicts find resolution, which lead to the inevitable conclusion. It is the fifth stage of Freytag’s Pyramid.

Question 19

theme

Answer 19

The central idea or meaning of a story. Every element of fiction works together to help produce the theme.

Question 20

thrust stage

Answer 20

A platform stage that juts out into the middle of the building. The audience stands and sits on three sides around it.

Question 21

antagonist

Answer 21

The central opponent of the main character or protagonist.

Question 22

aside

Answer 22

A brief comment that is addressed to the audience. It is presumed to be inaudible to anyone else on the stage. It allows the characters to reveal inner thoughts or feelings.

Question 23

character

Answer 23

The role or part in a performance that represents a personality type and generally performs the actions of the plot.

Question 24

dynamic character

Answer 24

This type of character undergoes a transformation as a result of the conflicts he or she encounters.

Question 25

flat character

Answer 25

This type of character has a lack of complexity. He or she has only a single trait. Minor characters tend to be flat.

Question 26

round character

Answer 26

This type of character is fully developed and resembles a real person. He or she tends to be the main character in the drama.

Question 27

static character

Answer 27

This type of character does not change considerably as the drama unfolds.

Question 28

dialogue

Answer 28

What people say; written conversation.

Question 29

expressionism

Answer 29

To use distorted or amplified images to illustrate what’s going on inside a character’s mind.

Question 30

foils

Answer 30

Players whose main purpose is to reveal other characters.

Question 31

idiom

Answer 31

An expression that can’t be accurately translated. Poets employ idiomatic expressions to achieve ordinary and colloquial diction.

Question 32

monologue

Answer 32

A speech, often lengthy, that is delivered by single characters to allow for revelations of thoughts or feelings.

Question 33

protagonist

Answer 33

The main character of the story upon which the action centers.

Question 34

soliloquy

Answer 34

A personal monologue that is delivered to the audience.

Question 35

Tennessee Williams

Answer 35

Thomas Lanier Williams (1911 – 1983) used realistic devices to show social forces at work in the lives of the characters. He had a great concern with the inner lives of his characters and thus moved away from realistic theater toward expressionist theater.