Drama Terms

exposition-The beginning of the play where the setting and characters (and perhaps the conflict) are introduced. falling Action-The action after the climax that leads to the denouement. plot-What happens protagonist-The hero who usually tries to solve a problem. (The main character) rising Action- Events and complications leading to the climax.

scene- A subdivision of an act where the setting does not change drastically stage direction- Instructions (in parentheses) that tell the actors how to act and move. characters- anything presented as a person in a literary work. denoument- the part of the play after the climax- falling action, the final result. props-. objects and furniture used in a play. play format- the way the character’s names are written& lines spoken to make the play

dialogue-. the actual words spoken between 2 or more characters monologue- a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker; a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy soliloquy- (so-lill-a-qwee) the act of talking while or as if alone; a character talking to his/her self in order for the audience to learn their inner thoughts. climax-The point of greatest intensity; when the protagonist and antagonist meet act- A major division of a play with set changes; often indicates a change in time period.

upstaging-to draw attention away from; to force (an actor) to face away from the audience by staying upstage amphitheater-a large building with seats rising in curved rows around an open space on which games and plays take place foreground- the part of a scene or picture that is nearest to and in front of the viewer background- the part of a scene or picture that is farthest from the viewer : the part of a scene that is behind a main figure or object in a painting, photograph, etc. upstage-toward or at the rear of a theatrical stage

antagonist-the force or person opposing the protagonist; often thought of as “the bad guy”. asides- also known as “stage whispers” are moments when an actor pretends to whisper information to another or to the audience while other characters on stage pretend not to hear. script- the way (format or structure) in which a play is written.

irony- an implied difference between what is said and what is meant dramatic irony-when an audience perceives something that a character in the literature does not know. situational irony- is a discrepancy between the expected result and actual results