terminology

Act

The major units into which dramas/plays are divided

Aside

A short speech delivered by a character in a play in order to express his or her true thoughts and feelings. Traditionally, it is directed to the audience and is presumed to be inaudible to the other actors

Comic Relief

A technique that is used to interrupt a serious part of a literary work by introducing a humorous character or situation

Couplet

A pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter. It is often found in poems and in plays written in verse

Dialogue

A conversation between characters that may reveal their traits and advance the action of the narrative

Drama

A story written to be performed by actors. The script of it is made up of dialogue (the words the actors say) and stage directions (the comments on how and where the action happens)

Dramatic Irony

A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows to be true

Epilogue

A closing section added to a novel, play, etc. providing further comment; specifically, a speech to the audience by an actor

Foil

A character who provides contrast to another character.

Foreshadowing

In a literary work, the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur.

Iambic Pentameter

Blank verse containing five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), called "feet," in each line

Malapropism

A humorous confusion of words that are similar in sound

Monologue

In a play, a speech by one character that, unlike a soliloquy, is addressed to another character or characters

Mood

Also called atmosphere, the feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage. It is often suggested by descriptive details and can be described by a single word

Oxymoron

A combination of words, or parts of words, that contradict each other.

Prologue

An introductory speech at the beginning of the play and/or separate acts to give the audience a summary of the story or call attention to the theme.

Pun

A play on words involving a word with two or more different meanings or two words that sound alike but have different meanings

Quatrain

A stanza or poem made up of four lines, usually with a definite rhythm and rhyme scheme

Scene

In a drama, the smaller units into which acts are divided

Soliloquy

A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage

Sonnet

A 14-line lyric poem that is usually written in iambic pentameter and has one of several rhyme schemes

Tone

In a literary work, the writer's attitude toward his or her audience and subject

Tragedy

A work of literature, especially a play, that results in a catastrophe or great misfortune for the main character, or tragic hero, often caused by a tragic flaw, or weakness, in his or her character

Tragic Flaw

A personality defect that contributes to a hero's choice, and thus, to his or her tragic downfall

Tragic Hero

In a tragedy, the main character who suffers a catastrophe or great misfortune