Drama and Theater Literary Terms

A comprehensive vocabulary review of essential theater and drama literary terms covering dramatic structures, conventions, and roles.

Set

Scenery and props designed and arranged for a particular scene in a play.

Dialogue

Conversation between characters in a play.

Stage Directions

A set of instructions in the text of a play.

Juxtaposition

Putting two or more things side by side to compare them.

Rising action

A series of events that lead to the climax; the building of tension in a narrative.

Soliloquy

A dramatic convention where a character speaks their true thoughts alone on stage.

Tragic flaw

An error in judgment that causes a character's downfall.

Tragic hero

A protagonist (usually of high moral standing) in tragedy who suffers downfall as a result of a tragic flaw.

Monologue

A long speech by one character in a play. It lets the character share their thoughts, feelings, or story with the audience or other characters.

Act

A major division of a play. It breaks the story into large sections that usually represent an important stage in the plot.

Scene

A smaller division within an act. It usually changes when the location, time, or characters on stage change.

Playwright

The person who writes the play. They create the story, characters, dialogue, and stage directions.