Drama Terms

A subdivision of an act - one event or conversation

The events in the play

The playwright's instructions to the actors.

A character's main drive or purpose

A character or force against which another character struggles

Lines spoken by only one character

The major division in a play; can be divided into scenes.

A group of characters (esp. in a Greek tragedy) who act like narrators and comment on the action without participating

This person undergoes an important change or development during the play

A dramatic work in which the main theme is triumph over adverse circumstances.

Hinting at what is to come-sometimes through an object that becomes important later in the play.

A type of drama in which characters experience a reversal in fortune, usually for the worse.

An introductory speech that introduces background information or characters

When a character says something to the audience that isn't heard by the other characters

A hero's weakness, usually resulting in his/her demise

A secondary character whose situation parallels the main character's

A character who undergoes little to no inner change

The main character in the literary work - the one we "root for"

A conversation between two or more characters

The arrogant pride in a character that will ultimately lead to his/her demise

The invisible division between the characters and the audience.

A parallel or smaller plot that coexists with the main action of the play