Download Romeo and Juliet Drama Terms Review

Romeo and Juliet
Drama Terms Review
English I
Mrs. Arguello
Monologue
• A speech in
which the
character
addresses a
silent listener
Soliloquy
• A speech in
which the
character
speaks his or
her thoughts
aloud and is
only
addressing
himself or
herself
Aside
• A short speech
to the
audience or
another
character that
is not heard by
other
characters.
Foil
• A character
whose
purpose is to
provide a
striking
contrast to
another
character
Comic Relief
• Humor added
that lessens
the
seriousness of
the plot
Stage Directions
• Instructions in
the script that
are usually
written in
italics and set
off by
parentheses;
they serve as
guides about
what to do
Pun
• A play on
multiple
meanings of a
word or on
two words
that sound
alike but have
different
meanings
oxymoron
• a combination
of two
contradictory
terms
– brawling love
– loving hate
– heavy
lightness
– sweet sorrow
Static and Dynamic Characters
Static Character: does not
change in the course of events
in a story
Dynamic Character: changes
as a result of a story’s events
Iambic Pentameter and Blank Verse
• an iamb is a "foot" of
poetry consisting of 2
syllables, 1 unaccented
and 1 accented. A line
of poetry written in
iambic pentameter will
have 5 iambs
• blank verse is poetry
written in unrhymed
iambic pentameter
Couplet
• Two
consecutive
lines that
rhyme
• Often signals
exit of
characters or
end of scene
Prologue and
Chorus
•
•
prologue—a short
introduction at the
beginning of a play
that gives a brief
overview of the plot
chorus –in
Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet,
the role of the
chorus is taken by a
single actor who
serves as a narrator
and speaks the lines
in the prologue (and
sometimes the
epilogue). The
chorus serves to
foreshadow or
summarize events.
Tragedy
• a dramatic
work that
presents the
downfall of a
dignified
character or
characters
that are
involved in
historically or
socially
significant
events
Cast
• a list of all the
characters in
the play,
usually listed
in order of
appearance
Act, Scene, Script
•
•
•
act – a major
division within a
play, similar to
chapters in a
book. Each act
may be further
divided into
smaller sections
called “scenes”
scene – presents
an episode of the
play’s plot and
typically occurs
at a single place
and time
script – the text
of a play