What are the two main divisions of a play?
acts and scenes
Aside
a line stated by a character that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by the other characters
Stage Directions
Lines that indicate/instruct how a play should be presented and how characters should move about (not read aloud)
Drama
a story told through characters played by actors
Monologue
A long speech made by one character WITH other characters on stage
Dialogue
a conversation between two or more characters
Soliloquy
a speech made by a character alone that reveals their thoughts and feelings (character is alone on stage)
Iambic Pentameter
a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama; consists of 5 feet with the pattern, unstressed, stressed (da-DUM)
Dramatic Irony
When the reader or audience knows something a character does not know
Prose
written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure
Verbal Irony
a figure of speech in which a speaker says one thing but means another
Comic Relief
The use of humorous scenes, characters, or speeches in a drama. Lightens the darkness of the play.
Subplot
A secondary plot that is intertwined with the main plot
Foil
a character in a play who (through contrast)underscores the distinctive characteristics of another, particularly the protagonist
Exposition
introductory material that gives the background of the play
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Metadrama
a play which features another play as a part of the plot (play-ception!!!)
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