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acts
large units of action
scenes
short units of action
stage directions
specify such things as the details of the setting and scenery; how the characters should look, peak, behave; and when and where actors should appear on stage- describes location
cast
characters listed at the beginning of a play- sometimes the cast list includes a brief description of one or more characters
two types of drama
tragedy and comedy
tragedy
drama in which the main character, called the tragic hero suffers a fall from good fortune
tragic hero
main character of a tragedy
tragic flaw
causes the main character to suffer a fall from good fortune
comedy
drama that details with light and amusing subjects or with serious subjects in a light familiar, or satirical manner
satire
a kind of comedy that ridicules people, practices, or institutions in order to reveal their failings
farce
a kind of comedy that places flat, one-dimensional characters in ridiculous situations
drama
written to be preformed by actors in front of an audience
dialogue
the words the characters speak (talk between two characters)
chorus
an actor or a group of actors who speak directly to the audience
aristotle’s six elements
plot, diction/language/dialogue, music/rhythm, theme, spectacle, and character
plot
what happens in a play
diction/language/dialogue
the playwright’s word choices and the actor’s enunciation (pronunciation) while delivering their lines
music/rhyme
the sound, rhythm and melody of the speeches
theme
what a play means, as opposed to what happens
spectacle
the scenery, costumes, and special effects in a play
character
the person an actor represents in a play
blank verse
unrhymed iambic pentameter
iambic pentameter
ten syllables per line, and every second syllable is stressed
three dramatic devices
monologue, soliloquy and aside
monologue
the character speaks directly to another character- dialogue
soliloquy
a character speaks his or her innermost thoughts when no other characters are on stage
aside
a character says something to the audience that other characters arent supposed to hear
foil
a character that proves a strong contrast to another character
summarize
starting the main ideas of a work of passage in your own words in a logical sequence
three types of figurative language
simile, metaphor, and personification
simile
compares seemingly unlike things using the words like or as
metaphor
compares seemingly unlike things without using like or as
personification
an animal or object or idea that is given human characteristics
inference
the use of reason and knowledge to form ideas about character’s motivations
irony
refers to a contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality
three types of irony
situational, verbal, dramatic
situational irony
exists when an occurrence is the opposite of what is expected
verbal irony
occurs when a person says one thing and means another
dramatic irony
exists when the reader or audience knows something a character does not
theme
a piece of literature that is the dominant idea- often a universal message about life
figurative language
descriptive language used to imply ideas, including metaphor, simile and personification
imagery
“word pictures” that appeal to the five senses
sound devices
elements that appeal to the ear, enhance rhyme, and create a musical quality
word play
puns or other instances of language that rely on double meaning
