Drama
Meant to be performed in front of an audience
Comedy
Deals with serious subject matter in a light-hearted way; has a happy ending.
Tragedy
Deals with serious subject matter in a serious way; no happy ending.
Tragic Hero
Main character of a tragedy that suffers from a tragic flaw.
Tragic Flaw
Personality trait that leads to the downfall / death of the main character (tragic hero)
Dramatic Foil
Two characters with opposite personality traits
Monologue
A long speech given by ONE character while on the stage with others (he knows others can hear him).
Soliloquy
A long speech given by ONE character while ALONE on stage. Meant to share thoughts/feelings with audience members only.
Dialogue
A conversation between two or more characters.
Aside
A quick comment made by an actor (while on stage with others) meant to be heard by the audience only.
Chance Happening
A seemingly accidental event that changes the course of the play.
Comic Relief
A short funny episode that follows (or interrupts) an intense scene. Meant to be a “tension breaker.”
Prologue
The part of the play that serves as the introduction; summarizes upcoming events.
Chorus
An actor (or group) that act as onlookers (narrators) and deliver (say) the prologue.
Blank Verse
Verse in unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line = 5 stressed / 5 unstressed).
Free Verse
Poetry that has no fixed pattern
Sonnet
A 14 lined poem that follows a strict rhyming pattern (abab / cdcd / efef / gg).
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something that the characters do not know.
Verbal Irony
When a character says one thing but means something else
Situational Irony
When the ending turns out differently than expected.