ENG250-14 Glossary of Drama Terminology and Concepts (Fall 2025)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key drama terms and concepts from the notes.

Antagonist

The person or force that opposes the protagonist or main character in a play; the term derives from the Greek meaning “opponent” or “rival.”

Catalyst

A character whose function is to introduce change or disruption into a stable situation and to initiate the action of the play; often involved in the inciting incident.

Dialogue

Language spoken by the characters in a play, delivered in the first person to imitate human interaction and convey the playwright’s artistic purpose; differs from narration.

Dramatis Personae

A character list identifying important characters in the play and their relationships, helping the reader or spectator understand onstage actions and interactions.

Flat Characters

Characters who are relatively simple and static, with few traits and little change over the course of the play.

Foil

A character whose qualities highlight those of another character, often through contrast.

Hamartia

A character’s intellectual error or internal flaw that prompts the tragic outcome, often described as the tragic flaw.

Round Characters

Characters depicted with psychological depth and realism, contrasted with flat characters.

Act

Traditional segmentation of a play indicating a change in time, action, or location; acts may contain scenes.

Aside

A theatrical convention where a character speaks to the audience without being heard by the other characters.

Character

A person in a play and the qualities of mind and spirit that constitute that person; traits are revealed through speech, dress, manner, and actions.

Deus-ex-Machina

Latin for “a god emerging from a machine”; a contrived final resolution often introduced by an external force, sometimes seen as arbitrary.

Dramatic Irony

Irony that occurs when the audience knows something a character does not, heightening tension or sympathy.

Exposition

Information presented at the beginning of a play that reveals essential world details, relationships, and earlier events useful for understanding the story.

Falling Action

The period after the crisis where the complications are untangled and the action moves toward its end.

Foreshadowing

Hints of what is to come in the action, often using symbolic imagery or prophecy.

Scene

A segment of a play smaller than an act, defined by a single time and place.

Theme

The play’s central idea or point of view; what the text wants you to think about the events and ideas it portrays.

Genre

A category of drama (e.g., tragedy, comedy, history) that defines its conventions and expectations.

Catharsis

The emotional release or relief a spectator may feel at the end of a tragedy.

Comedy

A form of drama with humorous content and generally happy endings, often satirizing societal norms and values.

Comic Relief

The use of a comic scene or character to interrupt a sequence of tragic moments, typically paralleling the tragic action.

Domestic Tragedy

A tragedy popular in 18th-century England focusing on middle-class or mercantile characters rather than aristocracy.

Farce

A fast-paced comedy with rapid action, misunderstandings, improbable plots, ludicrous characters, and physical humor.

History Play

A play that deals with historical characters, events, and subjects.

Representational Drama

A form in which the action takes place away from the audience, with the ‘fourth wall’ intact and no direct audience interaction.

Tragedy

A dramatic genre defined by the downfall of a heroic protagonist, typically ending in death and lacking a happy ending.

Climax

The moment when the main conflict is resolved and the action reaches its highest dramatic point.

Complication

A new element that changes the direction of the action; discovery is often central to complications.

Conflict

The central problem in the plot, an obstacle hindering a character from getting what they want, usually between opposing aims.

Crisis

The point at which the plot’s complications come to a head and determine the rest of the play’s direction.

Dénouement

The stage where loose ends are tied up or revealed, usually following the climax.

Epilogue

A concluding address to the audience or a closing scene that comments on the preceding events and offers final perspective.

Inciting Incident

The disturbance that initiates the conflict/resolution process and puts the forces of conflict in motion.

Resolution

Events after the climax that move the play toward a new equilibrium; often referred to as the falling action.

Reversal

A moment when a character’s fortunes shift, changing the direction of the story.

Rising Action

The central portion of the plot with crises that build tension toward the climax.

Action

The physical activity or accomplishment of a character’s intentions; actions are performed onstage.

Fourth Wall

The imaginary, invisible barrier between the drama and the audience, separating actors from viewers.

Gesture

A character’s physical movements, including facial expressions, that reveal character.

Stage Direction

Instructions or descriptions in the text of a play that guide action, setting, or movement.