Elements of Drama

Drama

A form of literature written for performance. Two types are comedy and tragedy.

Comedy

A story that ends happily. Usually centered around ordinary working class people rather than nobility or royalty.

Tragedy

A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin extreme sorrow. They end unhappily for the main characters and usually center around royalty or nobility.

Protagonist

A character around whom the story revolves. Often confused with the “good guy” or “the hero” but that’s not always the case.

Antagonist

A major character in the play whose ideas and/or values conflict with those of the protagonist. Often confused with “the villain” or “the bad guy” but that’s not is not always the case.

Dramatic irony

Exists when there is a situation on stage that the audience knows about, but the character in the drama are unaware of. This often adds humor or audience for the audience.

Conflict

The major source of tension within the drama. There are many ways in which authors bring a sense of _____, and the most common types are man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. self.

Act

A major division within a play, much like a chapter is a division in a novel. A midsummer nights dream is written in 5 ___.

Scene

A further division within an act. 

Aside

When words are spoken by a character directly the audience, which the other characters on stage do not hear. It is usually used to give the audience more information about a situation in the play or the thought process of a character. 

Monologue

A speech given by one character to another or by one character to the audience.

Dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters on stage. 

Pun

A play on words, often on those that sound alike.