Literary Terms (DRAMA)

act- a major division in the action of a play

antagonist- the character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story

antihero- a protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero

aside- in drama, a speech directed to the audience that supposedly is not audible to the other characters onstage at the time

catharsis- meaning “purgation”, describes the release of the emotions of pity and fear by the audience at the end of a tragedy

character- person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, and characterization is the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader

dynamic character- a character that undergoes some kind of change because of the action in the plot

flat character- embodies one or two qualities, ideas, or traits in the plot

hero/heroine- protagonist, central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy

motivated action- occurs when the reader or audience is offered reasons for how the characters behave, what they say, and the decisions they make

plausible action- action by a character in a story that seems reasonable, given the motivations presented

round character- display the inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in most real people

showing- a method of presenting the character talking and acting and lets the reader infer what kind of person the character is

static character- does not change throughout the work, and the reader’s knowledge of that character does not grow

stock character- embody stereotypes such as the “dumb blonde” or the “mean stepfather”, stereotypes rather than individuals

telling- author intervenes to describe and sometimes evaluate the character for the reader

chorus- In Greek tragedies, a group of people who serve mainly as commentators on the characters and events.

closet drama- play that is written to be read rather than performed onstage

comedy- work intended to interest, involve, and amuse the reader or audience in which no terrible disaster occurs and usually has a happy ending

high comedy- refers to the verbal wit

low comedy- physical action and is less intellectual

romantic comedy- involves a love affair that meets with various obstacles but overcomes them to end in a blissful union

comic relief- a humorous scene or incident that alleviates tension in an otherwise serious work

conflict- struggle within the plot between opposing forces

crisis- a turning point in the action of a story that has a powerful effect on the protagonist

drama- derived from Greek word “drama,” which means “to do”, designed for performance in a theater

play- general term for a work of dramatic literature

playwright- a writer who makes plays

Electra complex- the psychological conflict of a daughter’s unconscious rivalry with her mother for her father’s attention

epiphany- in fiction, when a character suddenly experiences a deep realization about himself or herself; a truth that is grasped in an ordinary rather than a melodramatic moment

foil- a character in a work whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character

foreshadowing- introduction early in a story of verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to come later

hamartia- “some error or frailty” that brings about misfortune for a tragic hero; refers to a mistake that a character makes that is based not on a person failure, but on circumstances

hubris- excessive pride or self-confidence that leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law

irony- literary device that uses contradictory statements or situations to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true

iambic pentameter- metrical pattern in poetry which consists of five iambic feet per line

cosmic irony- when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind

dramatic irony- creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience members know to be

sarcasm- a strong form of verbal irony that is calculated to hurt someone through, for example, false praise

situational irony- when there is an incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually happens due to forces beyond human comprehension or control

tragic irony- form of dramatic irony found in tragedies such as Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus searches for the person responsible for the plague that ravishes his city and ironically ends up hunting himself

verbal irony- figure of speech that occurs when a person says one thing but means the opposite

Oedipus complex- Freudian term derived from Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King. Describes a psychological complex that is predicted on a boy’s unconscious rivalry with his father for his mother’s love and his desire to eliminate his father to take his father’s place with his mother

one-act play- play that takes place in a single location and unfolds as one continuous action. Characters are presented economically and the action is sharply focused.

plot- author’s selection and arrangementof incidents in a story to shape the action and give the story a particular focus

climax- moment of greatest emotional tension in a narrative, usually marking a turning point in the plot at which the rising action reverses to become the falling action

falling action- characterized by diminishing tensions and the resolution of the plot’s conflicts and complications

in medias res- term used to describe the common strategy of beginning a story in the middle of action

pyramidal pattern- divides the plot into three essential parts

rising action- first part in which complication creates some sort of conflict for the protagonist

problem play- type of drama that presents a social issue in order to awaken the audience to it. Plays usually reject romantic plots in favor of holding up a mirror that reflects not simply what the audience wants to see but what the playwright sees in them

prologue- opening speech or dialogue of a play that gives the exposition necessary to follow the subsequent action

protagonist- main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy

pun- play on words that relies on a word’s having more than one meaning or sounding like another word

recognition- moment in a story when previously unknown or withheld information is revealed to the protagonist, resulting in the discovery of the truth of his or her situation and, usually, a decisive change in course for that character.

reversal- the point in a story when the protagonist’s fortunes turn in an unexpected direction

scene- subdivision of an act. Units of action in which there are no changes in the settings or breaks in the continuity of time

script- written text of a play which includes dialogue between characters, stage directions, and often other expository information

setting- physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs

soliloquy- dramatic convention by means of which a character, alone onstage, utters his or her thoughts aloud

stage directions- a playwright’s written instructions about how the actors are to move and behave in a play

subplot- secondary action of a story, complete and interesting in its own right, that reinforces or contrasts with the main plot. May be more than one subplot, and sometimes as many as three, four, or even more, running through a piece of fiction

tragedy- a story that presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure, defeat and even death

revenge tragedy- a well-established type of drama that can be traced back to Greek and Roman plays. Basically consist of a murder that has to be avenged by a relative of the victim. Typically, victim’s ghost appears to demand revenge, and invariably madness of some sort is worked into subsequent events, which ultimately end in the deaths of the murderer, the avenger and the number of other characters

tragic flaw- an error or defect in the tragic hero that leads to his downfall, such as greed, pride, or ambition

tragic irony- form of dramatic irony found in tragedies such as Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus ironically ends up hunting himself

tragicomedy- a type of drama that combines certain elements of both tragedy and comedy. Play’s plot tends to be serious, leading to a terrible catastrophe, until an unexpected turn in events leads to a reversal of circumstance, and the story ends happily. Often employs a romantic, fast-moving plot dealing with love, jealousy, disguises, treachery, intrigue, and surprises, all moving toward a melodramatic resolution.

well-made play- realistic style of play that employs conventions including plenty of suspense created by meticulous plotting