Dimensions and Devices Dramatic irony Mistaken identity Pathos Sentimentalism Cynicism Denouement Parody Reversal Imagery Didacticism Domestic tragedy Blank verse

Dramatic irony Often in a play we have a situation in which the character does not fully understand the significance of his actions or statements. The character’s actions have a relevance to him which he does not perceive, and when this happens we describe the situation as one of dramatic irony.

Mistaken identity One specialized kind of irony is that of mistaken identity. Some plays in fact have plots entirely dependent on the device of mistaken identity. In this situation. Some of the characters on the stage are simply unaware of the identity of other characters while audience knows who everybody is.

Pathos Pathos in drama, and in other literary forms, as well, is the quality which moves the audience to pity, tenderness, or sorrow. Usually we observe pathos in situations where there is a helpless character, one who suffers because of undeserved sadness.

Sentimentalism and cynicism When a playwright tries to produce or reflect an overabundance of emotion, he is usually creating a situation of “sentimentalism”. Cynicism is basically an attitude of superiority; an individual sets himself above his society and considers himself of far greater value.

Denouement and parody The final revelation of a play is usually referred to as the denouement; this is both a necessity and a device in almost all plays. Quite often a playwright will write a play which is an obvious burlesque of another play, usually of a serious nature; this burlesque is known as a parody.

Reversal and imagery Reversal is the term we use to describe the dramatic turning point in the fortune of the play’s hero; reversal is the exact point in the plot when suddenly the hero is directed toward a different fate, toward a fate which up until this exact point in the play he had no idea was in the store for him; also known as peripety Imagery: As we have noted in our discussion of certain plays, imagery is apt to be central to our understanding of the meaning of a play. (for example: simile, metaphor)

Didacticism When a playwright is consciously “lecturing” to us on certain moral principles—and generally the superiority of moral good– he is usually didactic. They have some lessons to teach us through the speech and action of the characters

Domestic tragedy and blank verse The appearance of certain tragedies which are based on the lives of common, ordinary people and are generally called Domestic tragedies. Blank verse: The lines in most of the speeches are unrhymed and contain ten syllables alternating unstressed and stressed ones.