04.02 Building Context: Shakespeare's "The Tempest"

Act

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

Allusion

A casual or indirect reference to another work of literature, historical event, biblical story, or mythology.

Antagonist

A character or force that opposes another character in a struggle.

Aside

Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, unheard by other characters on stage.

Climax

The turning point of the action in a play, the moment of greatest tension.

Comedy

A dramatic work where triumph over adversity leads to a successful or happy ending.

Comic Relief

A light-hearted scene providing relief after intense tragic moments in a play.

Denouement

The final outcome of the main complication in a play, occurring after the climax.

Dialogue

Conversation between characters in a literary work, with names preceding speech in plays.

Drama

A story written to be performed by actors in front of an audience.

Dynamic Character

A character who undergoes inner change throughout the play.

Exposition

The initial stage of a plot providing necessary background information.

Falling Action

Events where complications begin to resolve, releasing tension.

Flat Character

A character with one or two traits who remains unchanged.

Foil Characters

Characters contrasting to highlight specific qualities of another character.

Modern Chorus

A character/narrator providing prologue or background information in modern plays.

Monologue

A speech by a character to others without response.

Motivation

Thoughts or desires driving a character to pursue a want or need.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story.

Prologue

Explicit exposition introducing material before the first scene in later literature.

Protagonist

The main character of a literary work.

Pun

A play on words.

Rising Action

Events leading to the climax in a play's plot.

Round Character

A complex character with many traits who changes throughout the play.

Scene

A segment in a play indicating changes in time, location, characters, or subplots.

Soliloquy

A speech heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage.

Static Character

A character who remains unchanged throughout the play.

Stock Character

A recognizable character type found in many plays.