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)

DRAMA TERMINOLOGY  Aside – a speech directed to the audience that is not audible to the other characters on stage at that time  Catastrophe - The concluding action of a drama, especially a classical tragedy, following the climax and containing a resolution of the plot.

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 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 reader’s interest and empathy Round – display inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in most real people Static – one that doesn’t change throughout the work, reader’s knowledge of character does not grow

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

DRAMA TERMINOLOGY  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.

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

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

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

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

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  Imagery – the words or phrases a writer selects to create a certain picture in the reader’s mind, usually based on sensory detail

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 character’s 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

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 world’s 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

DRAMA TERMINOLOGY  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 1 st person – where a central character or another minor character tells the story using “I” 3 rd 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 3 rd person

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

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

DRAMA TERMINOLOGY  Theme – the statement about life a particular work is trying to get across  Tone – the overall feeling, or effect, created by a writer’s 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