1. DRAMA TERMS

2. Drama a story written to be performed by actors

3. Comedy a play that has a happy ending

4. Catastrophe the point in a tragedy where the main character(s) meets his unhappy end (most often death)

5. Tragedy a work of literature that results in a catastrophe (normally death) for the main character

6. Stage Directions Instructions printed in italics used to describe sets, lighting, sound effects, and the appearance, personalities, and movements of characters perfoming a particular play (not meant to be spoken)

7. Dramatic Irony when the audience knows something that the characters don’t yet know

8. Dialogue a conversation between two or more characters

9. Monologue a speech by one character in a play to other characters

10. Aside a short speech that the audience is intended to hear but other actors on stage do not

11. Soliloquy a long speech expressing the thoughts/feelings of a character alone on stage

12. Character Foil When a character is used purposely as a contrast to another charcter

13. Exposition the part of the story that introduces the characters, the setting, and the basic situation (the prologue in R & J)

14. Prologue Like a short story’s exposition, this is the opening speech that introduces the play’s main characters, plot, and setting

15. Rising Action all events leading to the climax/turning point, which provide optimism and hope

16. Climax/Turning Point a drama’s high point of interest or suspense that causes the shift from rising action to falling action

17. Falling Action the downward spiral of events that follows the climax/turning point

18. Resolution when the conflicts unravel, a general insight or change occurs, and the story comes to an end

19. Frey tag’s Pyramid a method created by a critic that is used to examine Shakespeare’s tragedies