Vocab #5

Question 1

when a character directs a speech at an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction such as the sky or injustice.

Answer 1

Apostrophe

Question 2

a dramatic device in which a character speaks so the audience can hear, but other characters who may be present cannot.

Answer 2

Aside

Question 3

Latin for “god from a machine.” Refers to a playwright’s use of a forced, unexpected, or improbable solution to an unsolvable situation.

Answer 3

Deus ex Machina

Question 4

a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.

Answer 4

Farce

Question 5

a character’s (usually the hero/protagonist) tragic or fatal flaw, or mistake in judgment, that ultimately leads to their downfall.

Answer 5

Hamartia

Question 6

A dramatic work that exaggerates plot and character in order to appeal to the audience’s emotions.

Answer 6

Melodrama

Question 7

an extended speech by one character that is delivered to the audience or other characters on stage.

Answer 7

Monologue

Question 8

a recurring idea, symbol, image, figure of speech, etc. that helps to reveal dominant ideas, central themes, and the deeper meaning in a story.

Answer 8

Motif

Question 9

an extended speech by one character that the character delivers to him or herself. If other characters are present, they do not hear it.

Answer 9

Soliloquy

Question 10

a story in which the hero or main character dies or has an unfortunate end.

Answer 10

Tragedy