Drama terms honors english 10

Crean's class

Monologue

A single fictional speaker—usually a performance actor—gives an extended speech, either as if alone on stage or as if speaking to a fictional audience.

Drama

In the most general sense, work designed to be represented on a stage by actors.

Dramatis Personae

The list of characters in a play so the audience knows who is who before the action begins.

Act

A chunk of the play's action. Shakespeare's plays always have five that are noted with a large Roman numeral.

Scene

A division of action within an act. Shakespeare's plays have a variety of numbers of scenes that are noted with a small Roman numeral.

Tragedy

A form of drama exciting pity and/or fear in the audience.

Comedy

Any literary work, but especially a play, that commonly has a happy ending.

Tragic Hero

a person of high estate who has the potential for greatness. The person is pre-eminently virtuous and just, but his/her misfortune is brought about, in part, by an error in judgment.

Hamartia (tragic flaw)

The tragic figure suffers from a tragic flaw in character. As a result of this flaw s/he makes errors of judgment that are later directly responsible for the hero/ine's tragic downfall, leading to the catastrophe of the play.

Crisis/Climax

This is the turning point in the fortunes of the tragic protagonist, the consequence(s) of 'hamartia' serving to compound the tragic situation.

Hubris

In traditional Greek tragedies, the tragic hero's tragic flaw is often pride to excess.

Catharsis

The terror and pity felt by the audience of a tragedy produce , a cleansing or purifying of emotion.

Soliloquy

When a character speaks his/her true thoughts and feelings while alone on stage. reveal the character's 'real' thoughts on a subject.

Aside

When a character says something privately to another character while other characters are also on stage. The line(s) are meant for one character's ears alone.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene, incident, or remark within an essentially serious or even tragic drama.