Drama Terminology

1
Drama Terminology

• Act a major division of a play
• Allegory a story in which people, things and
  actions represent an idea or a generalization
  about life often contains strong moral lesson
• Allusion a reference in literature to a person,
  event, or literary work
• Apostrophe the addressing of someone or
  something, usually not present, as though present
  (ex. Oh Captain, my Captain! Death be not proud)

2
Drama Terminology

• Apron the front portion of the Proscenium Stage
• Aside a speech directed to the audience that is
  not audible to the other characters on stage at
  that time
• Blackout all lights on stage are dropped
• Blocking directions for actors movements on
  stage
• Catastrophe - The concluding action of a drama,
  especially a classical tragedy, following the
  climax and containing a resolution of the plot.

3
Drama Terminology

• Catharsis meaning purgation, it describes the
  release of the emotions of pity and fear by the
  audience at the end of a tragedy. The audience
  faces the misfortunes of the protagonist, which
  elicit pity and compassion. Simultaneously, the
  audience also confronts the failure of the
  protagonist, thus receiving a frightening
  reminder of human limitations and frailties.
  Ultimately, however, both these negative emotions
  are purged, because the tragic protagonists
  suffering is an affirmation of human values
  rather that a despairing denial of them

4
Drama Terminology

• Character a person or thing in a story
• Antagonist - is the person or thing working
  against the protagonist
• Dynamic one that undergoes some type of change
  because of the action in the plot
• Flat embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or
  traits that can be readily accessible to readers
  (could be stereotypes dumb blonde or evil
  stepmother)
• Main central character to the story/protagonist
• Minor - less important character in a literary
  work, but still is needed for explanation or
  development of plot
• Protagonist central character who engages the
  readers interest and empathy
• Round display inconsistencies and internal
  conflicts found in most real people
• Static one that doesnt change throughout the
  work, readers knowledge of character does not
  grow
• Tragic hero has the potential for greatness but
  is doomed to fail trapped in a situation that
  cannot be won makes some sort of tragic flaw,
  this causes fall from greatness still wins a
  moral victory and spirit lives on

5
Drama Terminology

• Characterization creation of characters for a
  play or story
• Direct telling the audience/reader exactly what
  you want them to know about the characters
  (Killer is a really mean guy.)
• Indirect Showing the reader the character
  instead of telling the audience about the
  character

6
Drama Terminology

• Chorus the repetition of a line or phrase of a
  poem at regular intervals, especially at the end
  of a stanza
• Climax high point of story is the turning
  point, and usually the most intense point in the
  story
• Comedy literature with a love story at its
  core. The basic plot often develops as follows
  an old, established society tries to prevent the
  formation of a new one (the union of a young
  couple). The young couple succeeds in the end.
  Human errors or problems may appear humorous

7
Drama Terminology

• Conflict the problem or struggle in a story
  that triggers the action. There are five basic
  types person vs. person, person vs. society,
  person vs. self, person vs. nature, and person
  vs. fate/God
• Connotation creating associations while also
  using explicit definitions
• Crisis a high point in the conflict that leads
  to the turning point or climax
• Denotation dictionary definition

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Drama Terminology

• Denouement the outcome, solution, unraveling,
  or clarification of a plot in a drama final
  revelation or outcome
• Dialect a type of information diction.
  Dialects are spoken by definable groups of people
  from a particular geographic region, economic
  group, or social class. Writers often use
  dialect to contrast and express differences in
  educational, class, social, and regional
  backgrounds of their characters
• Dialogue the conversation carried on by the
  characters in a literary work

9
Drama Terminology

• Epiphany in fiction, when a character suddenly
  experiences a deep realization about himself or
  herself a truth which is grasped in an ordinary
  rather than a melodramatic moment
• Exposition writing or speaking that sets forth
  or explains detailed explanation
• Farce an exaggerated comedy based on broadly
  humorous, highly unlikely situations

10
Drama Terminology

• Flashback going back to an earlier time in a
  story for the purpose of making something present
  clearer
• Foil character in a work whose behavior and
  values contrast with those of another character
  in order to highlight the distinctive temperament
  of that character (usually the protagonist)
• Foreshadowing to be a sign of something to
  come indicate or suggest before hand

11
Drama Terminology

• Gesture anything done or said to convey a state
  of mind, intention, etc. often something said or
  done merely for effect of as a formality
• Hubris the flaw that leads to the downfall of
  the tragic hero
• Imagery the words or phrases a writer selects
  to create a certain picture in the readers mind,
  usually based on sensory detail

12
Drama Terminology

• Irony combination of circumstances or a result
  that is opposite of what is or might be expected
  or considered appropriate
• Dramatic where the reader/audience sees a
  characters mistakes or misunderstandings, but
  the character does not
• Situational there is a great difference between
  the purpose of a particular action and the result
• Verbal where the writer says one thing and
  means another

13
Drama Terminology

• Metaphor a figure of speech containing an
  implied comparison, in which a word or phrase
  ordinarily and primarily used of one is applied
  to another (all the worlds a stage)
• Mood the feeling a piece of literature arouses
  in the reader/audience happiness, sadness,
  peacefulness
• Motif an often-repeated idea or theme in
  literature

14
Drama Terminology

• Paradox a statement that seems contrary to
  common sense, yet may, in fact, be true
• Plot the action or sequence of events in a
  story contains 5 basic elements exposition,
  rising action, climax, falling action, and
  denouement
• Point of View the vantage point from which the
  story is told
• 1st person where a central character or another
  minor character tells the story using I
• 3rd person where a voice outside of the story
  tells the story using he or she to describe
  the characters and actions
• Limited/Objective
• Omniscient having infinite knowledge knowing
  all things usually in 3rd person

15
Drama Terminology

• Proscenium Stage Greek stage contains an apron
  also known as a picture frame stage

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Drama Terminology

• Repetition the act of repeating something over
  and over again
• Satire a literary work in which vices, follies,
  stupidities, abuses, etc. are held up to ridicule
  and contempt
• Scene a division of a play, usually part of an
  act, in which conventionally the action is
  continuous and in a single place
• Simile a comparison of two unlike things in
  which a word of companion (like or as) is used

17
Drama Terminology

• Soliloquy a speech delivered by a character
  when he/she is alone on stage
• Staging to present, represent, or exhibit on or
  as on stage
• Symbol a person, place, thing, or event used to
  represent something else
• Syntax the ordering of words into meaningful
  verbal patterns

18
Drama Terminology

• Theme the statement about life a particular
  work is trying to get across
• Tone the overall feeling, or effect, created by
  a writers words. May be serious, mock-serious,
  humorous, or satirical
• Tragedy a serious play or drama typically
  dealing with the problems of a central character,
  leading to an unhappy or disastrous ending
• Tragicomedy a play or other literary work
  combining tragic and comic elements