Drama and Legal Terms

Plays intended to be acted upon a stage

concept in U.S. justice system that the defendant dos not have to prove their innocence

The lawyer who represents the defendant

The side whose job it is to try to prove the defendant guilty

The killing of one person by another

script

Jury cannot come to an agreement about a verdict

Conversation between two or more characters

To consider or discuss carefully

The reason behind a character’s actions

uncertain as to a defendant's guilt; a juror must have none of this to find a defendant guilty

To find the defendant guilty

prosecutor's duty to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

The act of putting together people based on race, etc.

The final decision made by a jury

Universal idea about humanity; message intended by the author in literary work

To question a witness by opposing counsel

Defendant is acquitted, cannot be retried for same crime

The methods an author uses to reveal the character

A juror chosen to lead a jury and deliver the verdict

The pattern of events in a literary work

Cannot be forced to testify against him/herself

The point of greatest dramatic tension or excitement; the turning point

Information given to help visualize setting;tell actor where/how to move, etc.

The person or force that is in conflict with the protagonist

group who make a decision in a legal case based on evidence presented in court.

The person on trial for a crime of which they are acuused

The central or main character involved in a conflict

Planned or plotted in advance

To find the defendant innocent