Unit 3 Flashcards
arena stage
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.
concatenation
To link together in a series or chain.
conflict
The opposition that shapes and motivates the plot’s action. It is also when words combine to create unpleasant sounds.
denouement
The “tune” of a poetic line when it’s read aloud. It is often used in modern poetry to replace formal meter.
dramatic climax
The uncertainty and anxiety of the crisis leads to the climax, where the tension peaks. It is the third stage of Freytag’s Pyramid.
exposition
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.
falling action
The downward slope from the climax that forestalls the play’s end. This is where issues are resolved.
flashback
To return the reader to an earlier moment in the story as a way of explaining or setting up the plot’s action.
foreshadowing
To reveal action that might happen in the future.
Freytag’s Pyramid
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.
Henrik Ibsen
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.
plot
The arrangement of relevant or important events in a story.
proscenium stage
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.
realism
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.
rising action
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.
setting
The time and place of a story.
stage direction
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.
technical climax
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.
theme
The central idea or meaning of a story. Every element of fiction works together to help produce the theme.
thrust stage
A platform stage that juts out into the middle of the building. The audience stands and sits on three sides around it.
antagonist
The central opponent of the main character or protagonist.
aside
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.
character
The role or part in a performance that represents a personality type and generally performs the actions of the plot.
dynamic character
This type of character undergoes a transformation as a result of the conflicts he or she encounters.
flat character
This type of character has a lack of complexity. He or she has only a single trait. Minor characters tend to be flat.
round character
This type of character is fully developed and resembles a real person. He or she tends to be the main character in the drama.
static character
This type of character does not change considerably as the drama unfolds.
dialogue
What people say; written conversation.
expressionism
To use distorted or amplified images to illustrate what’s going on inside a character’s mind.
foils
Players whose main purpose is to reveal other characters.
idiom
An expression that can’t be accurately translated. Poets employ idiomatic expressions to achieve ordinary and colloquial diction.
monologue
A speech, often lengthy, that is delivered by single characters to allow for revelations of thoughts or feelings.
protagonist
The main character of the story upon which the action centers.
soliloquy
A personal monologue that is delivered to the audience.
Tennessee Williams
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.
