playwright
the person who writes plays
dramatic irony
Irony that occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.
pun
a humorous play on words
paradox
a statement that is self-contradictory that is true and not true
protagonist
the main character of the play
antagonist
goes against the main character of the story
act
the major divisions of a play
scene
a smaller division of an act in a play during which the action takes place in a single place without a break in time
stage directions
an instruction in the text of a play, especially one indicating the movement, position, or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting.
tragedy
a play that deals with tragic events for the tragic hero
monologue
a long speech that a character makes to another
soliloquy
a long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage
aside
a brief remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play in order to reveal private thoughts
dramatic speech
the types of speech that characters use including dialogues, monologues, soliloquys, and asides.
allusion
A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
chorus
a person or group of people who act as a narrator, commentator, or general audience to the action of the play
tragic hero
a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy
tragic flaw
a weakness or limitation of character, resulting in the fall of the tragic hero.
character foil
A character that by contrast highlights or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another character
hubris
excessive pride or self-confidence
hamartia
another term for tragic flaw
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in same phrase, line, or sentence
inciting incident
event that introduces the central conflict
resolution in Shakespeare tragedy
how the story turns out; moral of the story is revealed
Shakespearean catastrophe
the tragic hero dies
moment of final suspense
near the end of the play, it begins to look as if things will go the way of the tragic hero after all
catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief (for the audience and/or characters) from, strong or repressed emotions.