English Drama Terms

Act

A major division in a play that can be subdivided into scenes.

Antagonist

A character or force that opposes or struggles against the protagonist.

Apron

The part of a proscenium stage that extends into the audience in front of the arch.

Aside

Words spoken directly to the audience that other characters on stage cannot hear.

Blocking

The planned movement patterns of actors on stage arranged by the director.

Box Set

A stage set representing three walls of a room, with the fourth wall open to the audience.

Catharsis

The emotional release of pity and fear experienced by the audience at the end of a tragedy.

Character

An imaginary person in a literary work who may be major/minor or dynamic/static.

Chorus

A group in Greek drama that comments on the action without participating directly.

Climax

The turning point and moment of greatest tension in a play.

Comedy

A dramatic work where conflicts lead to a happy or successful ending.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene inserted into a serious play to relieve tension.

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces that drives the drama.

Complication

An intensification or development of the conflict in a play.

Convention

A commonly accepted rule or feature of a particular literary genre.

Denouement

The final outcome where conflicts are resolved after the climax.

Deus Ex Machina

A sudden outside force that resolves the plot’s complications.

Dialogue

The conversation between characters in a play.

Diction

The style or choice of words used by characters that reveals personality and themes.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something important that the characters do not.

Dynamic Character

A character who changes internally during the course of the play.

Exodos

The final scene and exit of characters and chorus in a Greek tragedy.

Exposition

The introduction of background information needed to understand the story.

Falling Action

The part after the climax where tensions decrease and conflicts begin resolving.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the current action to show events from the past.

Flat Character

A simple character defined by one or two traits who does not change.

Foil

A character whose qualities contrast with another character to highlight traits.

Foreshadowing

A hint or clue that suggests events that will happen later in the play.

Fourth Wall

The imaginary barrier separating the audience from the stage action.

Gesture

Physical movements or facial expressions used to reveal character or emotion.

Hubris

Excessive pride or arrogance that leads to a character’s downfall.

In Medias Res

A storytelling technique where the plot begins in the middle of the action.

Inciting Incident

The event that starts the main conflict and leads to rising action.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Linear Plot

A plot where events occur in chronological order.

Monologue

A long speech delivered by a character to other characters.

Motivation

The desires or reasons that drive a character’s actions.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up the story.

Point of Attack

The moment when the playwright begins dramatizing the action.

Proscenium Arch

The frame separating the stage from the audience area.

Prologue

An introduction that provides background information before the play begins.

Props

Objects used by actors on stage during a performance.

Protagonist

The main character in a literary work.

Repertory

A system where a theatre company performs multiple plays over a period of time.

Resolution

The final part where conflicts are solved and the story concludes.

Reversal (Peripeteia)

A sudden change in fortune for the protagonist.

Rising Action

The series of events leading up to the climax.

Round Character

A complex, realistic character with depth and multiple traits.

Satire

A literary work that criticizes or mocks human weaknesses or society.

Scene

A division of an act marking a change in time, place, or characters.

Scenery

The physical stage design representing the setting.

Soliloquy

A speech where a character reveals private thoughts to the audience alone.

Stage Direction

Instructions written by the playwright about movement, setting, or action.

Staging

The visual presentation of a play including actors, scenery, lighting, and sound.

Static Character

A character who does not change during the play.

Suspension of Disbelief

The audience’s willingness to accept fictional events as real.

Stock Character

A stereotypical character type appearing in many plays.

Subplot

A secondary storyline that runs parallel to the main plot.

Theatre of the Absurd

A dramatic style showing life as meaningless or illogical.

Theme

The central idea or message explored in a play.

Tragedy

A drama where the protagonist experiences downfall or suffering.

Tragic Flaw

A character weakness that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall.

Tragic Hero

A noble character whose flaw leads to a fall from greatness.

Unity of Time, Place, and Action

A classical rule that a play should occur in one place, one action, and within 24 hours.