1. Drama Elements

2. What is a Drama?
A story that is acted out with characters, scenes, action and props
Is meant to be seen and not read.

3. There are two main types of dramas.
Tragedy
A drama that usually ends in a death,
the main character falls
There is a sad ending
Comedy
A drama that has a happy ending
There may be a wedding at the end

4. What is a Play?
A play is a short drama, which is divided into smaller units called Acts.
Much like the stanzas in a poem
It allowed the actors a break to change costumes and scenery changes
Acts are divided into smaller sections called scenes

5. What is an Aside?
An aside is a quick statement made by an actor to the audience, but NOT other actors on the stage

6. What is Comic Relief?
When a minor character has a few lines of humorous banter, while the major characters are dealing with something negative
This gives the play a balance, and the viewers don’t get bored with the characters crying and stressing all the time.

7. What is a Soliloquy?
A long speech by ONE character who is ALONE on stage. (A SOLO)

8. What is a Monologue?
A long speech by ONE character who takes over the scene WITH OTHER CHARACTERS. (ex. A sermon)

9. What is a Sonnet? A fourteen line poem that usually talks about love
Shakespeare is famous for writing many
The love scenes usually include these types of lines

10. What is an Inversion? A change in normal word order
I ate the sandwich.
*Inverted Word Order:
I the sandwich ate.
The sandwich I ate.
Ate the sandwich I.

11. What is an Oxymoron?
When two words that don’t usually go together are placed side by side
Jumbo shrimp
Baby grand
Terrible beauty
True lie
Awfully good

12. What is a Prologue? Speech at the beginning of the play
Given by the chorus
Gives an overview of the drama

13. What is an Epilogue?
Final speech at the end of the play given by a character
Sums up the message of the play and sometimes gives insight to what happens to the characters after the play ends

14. What is the Chorus?
A group of 15 men that help tell the story (similar to a narrator)
Entertained the audience during intermissions

15. What is Dramatic Irony?
This occurs when the audience knows more of the situation that then characters on stage
Causes suspense

16. What are Stage Directions?
Notes written in the script that are not meant to be read aloud; they tell the people how to produce the play, where actors should stand, etc.

17. What is an Allusion? A reference to another work within a work
An example of an allusion is found in Harry Potter with the name Remus. Which is an allusion to Roman mythology the founders of Rome were two wolves named Romulus and Remus.