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Drama Terms Act A major division in a play, similar to chapters in a book Allegory A symbolic narrative in which the surface details imply a secondary meaning. Antagonist A character or force against which another character struggles. Aside Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage during a play. Cast (of characters) List of all the characters in a play, usually in order of appearance Catastrophe The action at the end of a tragedy that initiates the denouement or falling action of a play. Catharsis The purging of the feelings of pity and fear that, according to Aristotle, occur in the audience of tragic drama. The audience experiences catharsis at the end of the play, following the catastrophe. Character An imaginary person in a literary work. Characterization The means by which writers present and reveal character. Chorus A group of characters in Greek tragedy (and in later forms of drama), who comment on the action of a play without participation in it. Climax The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. Comedy A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better. In comedy, things work out happily in the end. Comic relief The use of a comic scene to interrupt a succession of intensely tragic dramatic moments. Conflict A struggle between opposing forces in a story or play, usually resolved by the end of the work. Denouement The resolution of the plot of a literary work. Dialogue The conversation of characters in a literary work. In fiction, dialogue is typically enclosed within quotation marks. In plays, characters' speech is preceded by their names. Drama A form of literature meant to be performed in front of an audience Dramatic Monologue A type of poem in which a speaker addresses a silent listener. Falling action In the plot of a story or play, the action following the climax of the work that moves it towards its denouement or resolution. Figurative language A form of language use in which writers and speakers convey something other than the literal meaning of their words. Examples include hyperbole or exaggeration, simile and metaphor, personification. Flashback An interruption of a work's chronology to describe or present an incident that occurred prior to the main time frame of a work's action. Foreshadowing Hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story. Gesture The physical movement of a character during a play. Gesture is used to reveal character, and may include facial expressions as well as movements of other parts of an actor's body. Inflection The emphasis a speaker places on a word or phrase, used to convey meaning for dramatic effect. Irony A contrast or between what is said and what is meant or between what happens and what is expected to happen in life and in literature. Monologue A speech by a single character without another character's response. See Dramatic monologue and Soliloquy. Narrator The voice and implied speaker of a fictional work, to be distinguished from the actual living author. Parody A humorous, mocking imitation of a literary work, sometimes sarcastic, but often playful and even respectful in its playful imitation. Pathos A quality of a play's action that stimulates the audience to feel pity for a character. Pathos is always an aspect of tragedy, and may be present in comedy as well. Pitch The rise and fall of the reader’s tone of voice Point of View The angle of vision from which a story is narrated. Props Articles or objects that appear on stage during a play. Protagonist The main character of a literary work Rate The speed at which a speaker delivers (says) their words and lines. Reader’s Theater Dramatic performance where the play is read with performers all starting with their backs to the audience. Just prior to each person reading her/his first line, s/he will turn and face the audience. Rehearsal Memorizing and practicing speaking parts in a play/drama Resolution The sorting out or unraveling of a plot at the end of a play, novel, or story. See Plot. Rising action A set of conflicts and crises that constitute the part of a play's or story's plot leading up to the climax. Satire A literary work that criticizes human misconduct and ridicules vices, stupidities. Scene In drama, each scene is a smaller part of the act. Scenery Backdrops and props that make the setting in the play seem more real. Script Text of the play or film. Setting The time and place of a literary work that establish its context. Simile A figure of speech involving a comparison between unlike things using like, as, or as though. An example: "My love is like a red, red rose." Soliloquy A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage. Stage Directions A playwright's descriptive or interpretive comments that provide readers (and actors) with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play. Staging The spectacle a play presents in performance, including the position of actors on stage, the scenic background, the props and costumes, and the lighting and sound effects. Subplot A parallel plot in a play or story that coexists with the main plot. Theme The idea of a literary work abstracted from its details of language, character, and action, and cast in the form of a generalization. Tone The implied attitude of a writer toward the subject and characters of a work. Tragedy A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the worse.