Drama Terms

Monologue A long speech by a single character without another character's response.

Soliloquy A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage. If there are no other characters present, the soliloquy represents the character thinking aloud.

Prologue An introductory section of a literary work that occurs before the story actually begins.

Sonnet A 14 line poem. A Shakespearean sonnet contains three quatrains followed by a couplet.

Chorus An actor in Elizabethan drama who recites the prologue and epilogue to a play and sometimes comments on the action.

Quatrain A four-line stanza in a poem.

Couplet A two line stanza in a poem.

Aside Lines whispered to the audience or to another character on stage (not meant to be heard by all the characters on stage)

Play A dramatic performance on stage for amusement or recreation.

Act One of the main divisions of a play. Shakespearean plays are made up of 5 acts.

Scene A division of an act of a play, usually distinguished by a change in setting.

Line The words spoken by an actor in a play.

Comedy Tragedy Mixed Form Dramatic Genres Comedy Tragedy Mixed Form Drama in which characters experience a reversal of fortune, usually for the better. Comedies usually end happily. Drama in which characters experience a reversal of fortune, usually for the worse. In a tragedy the characters usually suffer. Drama that contains elements of both Comedy and Tragedy. Melodrama Heroic Drama Parody Satire

Stage Direction Descriptive or interpretive comments that provide readers (and actors) with information about the how to read each line, how to act in a specific scene, or where to stand, move or look on stage.

Costume A style of dress, including accessories and hairdos worn on the stage, and usually associated with a particular region, group, or historical period.

Prop Articles or objects that appear on stage during a play.