Drama Terms

alazon

basic type of comic character who pretends to have extensive knowledge

catharsis

the release or purgation of emotions experienced by viewers during a play

comedy

drama written primarily to entertain the audience by appealing to its sense of superiority over the characters, closer to events in real life than tragedy

commedia dell’arte

comedy originating in the 1500s in Italy, in which stock characters in masks exemplify common traits and improvise play from basic plots

deus ex machina

a “god from the machine”, an artificial method or trick ending to extricate the characters from an impossible situation, a miraculous ending to a play

dramatic irony

type of irony in which the audience knows more about a situation or event than an actor does, allowing the audience foresight into character’s actions

dramatis personae

complete list of characters in a dramatic production

eiron

type of comic character who feigns ignorance to trick others

Freytag’s Pyramid

system representing the structure of a well made play, especially a tragedy in five acts, developed in 1863 by Gustave Freytag

hamartia

the fatal flaw of the protagonist, unrecognized during the play, that results in his suffering or death, traits such as hubris, avarice and faulty judgment

hubris

the shortcoming or defect in the tragic hero which leads him to ignore the warnings of the gods and brings down his downfall, one type of hamartia

mimesis

the creative process of imitation and representing the truth of life on stage

monologue

a long speech by a single actor on stage, distinguished from a soliloquy

peripeteia

a sudden reversal or change in fortune of the protagonist caused by a fatal flaw, occurs after the crisis point in a drama and initiates the falling action

pity and fear

the emotions the audience experience in watching a tragedy through the process of catharsis, or cleansing of emotions, from Aristotle’s Poetics

protagonist

the principal actor in Greek drama

soliloquy

monologue representing the character’s unspoken thoughts, not directed to anyone on stage but designed to give insight into a character’s motivation

stock character

character who represents a specific personality type in commedia dell’arte such as columbine, pantaloon, harlequin, pagliaccio, scaramouche, pierrot

three unities

three principles of dramatic composition: unity of action, time and place, requiring that a play be limited to a single plot, 24 hours, and one location

tragedy

serious play that represents the sufferings and downfall of the protagonist, often of noble birth, due to a hamartia or fatal flaw, such as hubris (pride)