Patricians
wealthy landowners who held political and military power
Plebeians
lower-class citizens (laborers, craftsmen, merchants), did not own land and could not hold political office
Freedman
bought their way out of slavery, had few rights as citizens, and while able to own property, they were forbidden from owning land and could not hold political office
Slaves
no political or property rights and acted as laborers in all areas
Act I and Act II
the characters and the conflicts are introduced
Act III
contains the turning point in which an irreversible decision determines the action for the rest of the play
Act IV
presents the consequences (both positive and negative) of the events in Act III
Act V
the resolution of conflicts
pathetic fallacy
when nature imitates or mirrors the actions and or mood of a play/ story.
Monologue
a long speech given by a single character that reveals a character's thoughts, motivation, and emotion to other characters on stage.
Soliloquy
a long speech given by a single character that reveals a character's thoughts, motivation, and emotion to the audience and is delivered without the character's knowledge of other characters on stage or without other characters on stage.
Aside
a short statement made by a character and directed to the audience to reveal his or her thoughts on another character or action
Tragic Hero
be of noble birth
destined by the gods to destruction or death
wins the audience's admiration and pity
suffers from a tragic flaw, an inherent defect in a character otherwise favored by fortune