Play Terminology

Refers to the words characters speak Advances the plot Reveals characters’ personalities and backgrounds

Usually indicates: Where a scene takes place What a scene should look like How the characters should move and speak Usually set in italics to distinguish them from dialogue

Conveys critical information about a play’s settings, props, characters, and even historical or social context Most playwrights provide such information in the dialogue or stage directions, but Arthur Miller does it differently. Arthur Miller interjects lengthy prose commentaries that contain a wealth of dramatic exposition (essay-like passages).

Characters’ Motives- reasons for behaving as they do Examples: fear, greed, guilt, love, loyalty, and revenge

Allusion- a brief reference within a work to something outside the work. Usually relates to one of the following: Another literary work A well-known person A place A historical event The Crucible makes many biblical allusions. Example: Act I contains a reference to the New Jerusalem, a term for the holy city of heaven

Historical context- key factors of life in the time period in which a literary work is set. Example in The Crucible: Biblical allusions which aid in showing the Puritans as a deeply religious people which helps the plot begin

Indirect Characterization- character is revealed through dialogue, opinion, reactions, and actions Example: “Good looking!” cried Mr. Hendrick contemptuously, “she always looks as if she wanted to be kissed! Turning those big coweyes on every calf in town!” Direct Characterization- writer simply states a character’s traits Example: He was a simple, good-natured man; he was moreover a kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband.

Foil Characters- two contrasting characters Examples: Harry Potter vs. Neville Longbottom John Watson vs. Sherlock Holmes Wicked Witch of the West vs. Glinda the Good Witch

Irony- involves a contrast between what is stated and what is meant, or between what is expected to happen and what actually happens Dramatic Irony- Contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true Verbal Irony- A character says one thing but means something different

Logical Fallacy- an idea or argument that appears logical though it is based on a faulty premise. Example: Judge Danforth explains his reasoning for believing the accusations of witchcraft. Though his thoughts seem logical, all are based on a mistaken premise.

Theme- central idea or insight into life that a writer conveys in his writing Examples: Fear and suspicion are infectious and can turn into mass hysteria Destructive power of guilt, revenge, and failure of a judicial system fueled by ideology instead of justice

Extended Metaphor- comparison that is developed throughout entire piece of writing Example: Comparison between Salem witch hunt and late 1940s and early 1950s McCarthyism Fear of communism and a widespread hysteria that Communists had infiltrated the State Department Panic based on witch hunt tactics—those who opposed McCarthy’s hearings were charged with Communism themselves