Drama Terms

Comedy

A literary work that is amusing, moves from chaos to order and happiness, usually shown through marriage

Tragedy

A drama that reveals the unfortunate downfall of a person. Tragedy moves towards chaos until order is somewhat restored through the misfortune, usually death or exile, of the tragic hero

Set

The background, furniture, and stationary items on stage

Props

Items used in a play, such as a sword

Staging

How things look on stage — where actors stand, entrances and exits, set, props, lighting, sound, etc

Stage Direction

A playwrights comment’s that provide information about how things are said, acted, gestured, or staged.

Chorus

A group of characters in a Greek tragedy who comment on the action of a play, often while performing a formalized dance to convey a communal emotion. The chorus would move in one direction (strophe) while presenting one side or idea and then move in the other direction (antistrophe) while presenting an opposing idea

Tragic Flaw

A character trait or mistake in the protagonist of a tragedy that leads to a downfall, usually death or exile

Hamartia

A criminal act committed in ignorance or for the sake of the greater good (tragic flaw, “missing the mark”)

Hubris

Excessive pride, thinking oneself above humans or as one of the gods

Catharsis

A term used by Aristotle to describe an emotional release experienced by the audience at the end of a tragedy

Monologue

A long speech spoken by one character

Soliloquy

A monologue that a character speaks alone to himself revealing thoughts and feelings to the audience

Aside

An actor in a play that says something that other characters in the play aren’t supposed to hear, but the audience can

Apostrophe

A speech or address to a person who is not present or to a personified object

anthromorphism

the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object

Gesture

A sign that communicates a character’s action, state of mind and relationship with other characters to an audience

tenor

The part of the metaphor that is being used for comparison (thing being described)

Vehicle

The image that carries the weight of the comparison (language you use to describe it)