Unit 7: The Drama

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  1. drama
    a work intended for performance by actors on a stage
    A drama, or play, is a story told through characters played by actors.
  2. script
    a written version of a play or other dramatic composition
    The script, or written form, is made up of dialogue spoken by the characters and stage directions that explain the setting and tell the actors how to give expression to emotions and physical movements.
  3. comedy
    light and humorous drama with a happy ending
    A comedy is a lighthearted or humorous work that typically presents characters with limitations and misunderstandings.
  4. tragedy
    drama exciting terror or pity
    A tragedy portrays the fall of a person of high status, such as king or god.
  5. playwright
    someone who writes plays
    For instance, the author of a novel or short story can describe a person, object, or landscape for pages before a character utters a single word. The author of a play, or playwright, does not have this luxury.
  6. exposition
    an account that sets forth the intent of a story
    The exposition, or background information, and other commentary or description must be expressed by the characters through their dialogue and behavior.
  7. spectacle
    an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale
    Another important difference between a play and a work of fiction is that a play is meant to be performed and must create a visual picture on stage, or spectacle.
  8. act
    a single division of a play, opera, or ballet
    An act generally comprises several scenes.
  9. scene
    a subdivision of an act of a play
    Scene breaks allow the dramatist to indicate a new time or place of action.
  10. stage direction
    instruction or description written in the script of a play
    Stage directions are notes included in a play that describe how something should be performed on stage.
  11. setting
    facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
    Act 1 of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is prefaced by a fairly elaborate description of the setting, the time and place in which the play occurs
  12. action
    the series of events that form a plot
    Action refers to how the characters move or behave.
  13. character
    an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction
    A character is an individual who takes part in the action of a literary work.
  14. protagonist
    the principal character in a work of fiction
    Just as in fiction, the main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in a drama and is in conflict with the antagonist.
  15. antagonist
    the main character who opposes the protagonist in a narrative or play
    Just as in fiction, the main character, or protagonist, is the most important character in a drama and is in conflict with the antagonist.
  16. foil
    a person or thing that serves to contrast with another
    Such a character might play the part of a foil, a character whose traits contrast with and therefore highlight the traits of another character.
  17. irony
    incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
    Irony is a difference between appearance and reality.
  18. dialogue
    the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction
    Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters.
  19. monologue
    a dramatic speech by a single actor
    In a monologue, a character speaks aloud or directly addresses the audience or another character in the play.
  20. soliloquy
    a dramatic speech giving the illusion of unspoken reflection
    In a soliloquy, a character is alone on stage, speaking his or her thoughts.
  21. aside
    a line spoken by an actor not intended for others on stage
    In an aside, a character literally turns to the audience and comments on the situation, a device that may have a humorous effect.
Created on Wed Mar 03 09:42:30 EST 2021 (updated Fri Mar 12 12:22:51 EST 2021)

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