English Elements of Drama

Stage Directions

Instructions in the script that tell actors what to do on stage. They explain things like movement, position, ton of voice, lighting, and sound effects

Plot

The main events of a story or play, shown in a sequence that connects together

Acts

The big sections of a play. Each act plays an important part in moving the plot forward.

Act 1

Exposition: Introduces the setting, characters, and situation

Act 2

Rising Action: Builds on the story and develops conflicts or ideas

Act 3

Climax: The turning point — often a sudden change for the worse 

Act 4

Falling Action: Events begin to spiral, things fall apart

Act 5

Resolution: Everything wraps up — people either die or get married (as Shakespeare often wrote)

Scene

A smaller part of an act. 

A new scene starts when the location changes or when something major happens in the dialogue

Characters

The people (or sometimes animals or figures) in a story or play.

Dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters. In plays, each line starts with the name of the character after speaking. 

Monologue

A long speech by one character, usually spoken to others who are on stage and listening.

Soliloquy

A long speech by one character who is alone on stage. They’re usually sharing their inner thoughts or feelings.

Aside

A short comment spoken directly to the audience (or to themselves) that the other characters do not hear.

Tragedy

Genre of a play characterized by the main character’s misfortune and downfall

Tragic Hero

Protagonist of a tragedy - bad things often happen to them — bad luck

Hubris

Excessive pride: disrespect for fate or the natural order

Hamartia

Tragic flaw: trait or characteristic that leads to their downfall

Peripeteia

Reversal of fortune; moment in the play where their misfortune begins in earnest — plot twist

Meter

Term used to describe the rhythm of lines of poetry 

Sonnet

A type of poem that has 14 lines and alternating rhyme schemes 

Rhyme Scheme

A term used to describe the pattern of how lines rhyme in a poem

look at the last word of a poem 

a,b,a,b,c,c

Elizabethan Era

The time period named after the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth the first