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AP Literature: DRAMA Flashcards

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5631396004dramafocuses on one or a few major characters who enjoy success or endure failure as they face challenges and deal with other characters. Many plays are written in prose. It is also like poetry because both genres develop situations through speech and action0
5631472809dialoguethe conversation of two or more characters1
5631481679monologuespoken by a single character who is usually alone onstage2
5631489629stage directionsare the playwright's instructions about facial and vocal expression, movement and action, gesture and "body language," stage appearance, lighting, and similar matters3
5631513519characterspersons the playwright creates to embody the play's actions, ideas, and attitudes4
5631557742round, dynamic, developing, and growing characterthey possess great motivation; profits from experience and undergoes a development in awareness, insight, understanding, moral capacity, and the ability to make decisions ex: Hamlet5
5631623864motivationsomething round characters possess6
5631651056flat, static, fixed, and unchanging characterdoes not undergo any change or growth. They remain fixed and static7
5631680467Realistic charactersare designed to seem like individualized women and men; the dramatist gives them thoughts, desires, motives, personalities, and lives of their own8
5631701321Nonrealistic charactersoften undeveloped and symbolic9
5631716382stereotype or stock charactersunindividualized characters whose actions and speeches make them seem to have been taken from a mold ex: stubborn father, romantic hero and heroine, clever male servant, insensitive husband, shrewish wife, and the lusty youth modern ex: private eye, stupid bureaucrat, corrupt politician, and the independent pioneer10
5631764592ancillary charactersset off or highlight the protagonist and who provide insight into the action11
5631787171foilthe first type of how ancillary characters highlight the protagonist. a character who is to be compared and contrasted with the protagonist ex: Laetres and Fortinbras to Hamlet12
5631861047choric figuresecond type; loosely connected to the choruses of ancient drama. Usually a single character and often a confidant of the protagonist Ex: Haoratio is the Hamlet13
5631883439raisonneur or commentatorwhen the choric figure expresses ideas about the play's major issues and actions14
5631891593symboliccharacters that can symbolize ideas, moral values, religious concepts, ways of life, or some other abstraction15
5631914670actions or incidentsplays are made up of series of sequential and related ... which are connected by chronology16
5631932755chronologythe logic of time17
5631951469plotprinciples underlying this ordered chain of actions and reactions is . . .18
5631979928double or multiple plottwo or more different but related lines of actions. Usually have a main plot and the subplot19
5631992225main plotthe main plot of the drama20
5632003921subplotcan be independently important and sometimes even more interesting than the main plot21
5632023198structurethe way a play is arranged or laid out22
5632035351"Freytag Pyramid"the exposition and complication lead up to a high point of tension-- the crisis or climax-- followed by the falling action and the catastrophe23
5632062520rising actionthe reader sees the beginning of difficulties that seem overwhelming and insolucle Ex: when we learn in Hamlet in the exposition of the king's death24
5632102166crisis or climax"turning point" or "high point". Happens in the third stage where all the converging circumstances compel the hero or heroine to recognize what needs to be done to resolve the play's major conflict Ex: When Hamlet vows vengeance after drawing conclusions about the king's reaction to the player scene25
5632144892falling actioncontains complicating elements deferring the play's conclusion Ex: In Hamlet a number of scenes make up this such as Hamlet's decision not to kill Claudius at prayer26
5632205077denouement "unraveling" or resolution "untying;" catastrophe "overturning"all tragic protagonists undergo suffering or death, all mysteries are explained, all conflicts resolved, all mistakes are corrected, all dastardly schemes are defeated, etc.27
5632234478point of viewrefers to the narrative voice of the story, the speaker or guiding intelligence through which the characters and actions are presented28
5632242988play's perspectivefocus; the ways in which dramatists direct attention to the play's characters and actions and their concerns29
5632285415tone or atmosphereauthors of plays have unique ways of conveying this; some of these are vocal ranges and stage gestures . Even silence, intensive stares, and shifting glances can be effective means for creating moods and controlling attitudes30
5632322299dramatic ironyone of the most common methods playwrights employ to control the tone of the play31
5632360993situational or verbal ironyrefers to circumstances in which characters have only a partial, incorrect, or misguided understanding or what is happening while both readers and other characters understand the situation completely32
5632394777cultural or universal symbolsare generally understood by the audience or reader regardless of the context in which they appear Ex: crosses, flags, snakes33
5632415380contextual or private symbolsdevelop their impact only within the context of a specific play or even a particular scene; might not realize something is symbolic at first34
5632435167allegory or allegoricalwhen a play offers consistent and sustained symbols that refer to general human experiences35
5632497412play's subjectthe aspects of humanity a playwright explores constitutes this36
5632520205play's themethe ideas that the play dramatizes make up the meaning which is this37
5632528464performancethat makes a play immediate, exciting, and powerful. The elements of this are the actors, the director, and the producer, the stage, sets or scenery, lighting, costumes and makeup, and the audience38
5632563591actorsare trained and have the experience to exert their intelligence, emotions, imaginations, voices, and bodies to make their characters real to us39
5632589474blockingwhen they move about the stage according to patterns called this, they move as they imagine the characters might move40
5632609091stage businessactors engage in this. gestures or movements that make the play dynamic, spontaneous, and often funny41
5632630041directorin the theater, all aspects of performance are shaped and supervised by this person; most significant member of the entire dramatic production; works closely with the producer42
5632636787producerthe one with the money is responsible for financing and arranging the production43
5632659379thrust stage or apron stage (platform stage)enlarges the proscenium stage with an acting area projecting into the audience by 20 or more feet. a lot of the action occurs here44
5632690835theater-in-the-rounda stage open on all sides like a boxing ring, surrounded by the audience. Protections are lively because the actors enter and leave through the same doorways and aisles used by the audience45
5632717578sets or sceneryto establish the action in place and time, to underscore the ideas of the director, and to determine the level of reality of the productions46
5632738267scenepermanent location; resembling a framed picture47
5632757607properties or propssome productions employ a single, neutral set throughout the play and then mark scene changes with the physical introduction of moveable . . . Ex: chairs, tables, beds, flower vases, ect.48
5632779861unit seta series of platforms, rooms, stairs, and exits that form the locations for all the play's actions49
5632789859realistic setting or naturalistic settinga stage setting designed to imitate, as closely as possible, the everyday world, often to the point o emphasizing poverty and dreariness50
5632792595nonrealistic settingdreamlike, fantastic, symbolic, and otherwise artificial setting that makes no attempt to present an imitation of everyday reality51
5632812882proscenium stage, proskenion1. a raised stage built in front of the skene in ancient Greek theaters to separate the actors from the chorus and to make them more prominent 2. An arch that frames a box set and holds the curtain, thus creating the invisible fourth wall through which the audience sees the action of the play52
5632817002lightingthe general word describing the many types, positions, directions, and intensities of artificial lights used in the theater53
5632819570costumes and makeupThe clothes worn by actors, designed to indicate historical periods, social status, economic levels, etc. The materials, such as cosmetics, wigs, and padding, applied to an actor to change appearance for a specific role, such as youth, an aged person, or a hunchback54
5632819571audience, intended reader or listener1. The people attending a theatrical production 2. the intended group of readers for whom a writer writes, such as a group of religious worshippers, or a group of rocket scientists55
5632825033tragedyA drama or other literary work that recounts the fall or misfortune of an individual who, while undergoing suffering, deals responsible with the situations and dilemmas that he or she faces, and who thus demonstrates the value of human effort and human existence56
5632828073comedyA literary genre which, like tragedy, originated in the Dionysia festivals of ancient Athens. Derived from the reek komos songs or "songs of merrymakers," the first comedies were wildly boisterous. Later comedies became more subdues and realistic. In typical they today, confusions and doubts are resolved satisfactorily if not happily, and usually they are characterized by smiles, jokes, and laughter57
5632830859Old Comedy, old attic comedythe Athenian comedies of the 5th century BC, featuring song, dance, ribaldry, satire, and invective.58
5632830860Middle ComedyThe Athenian comedies written in the first 2/3s of the fourth century BC. It is lessened or eliminated the chorus, and did away with the exaggerated costumes of the old comedy. None of these comedies survived from antiquity59
5632833823New ComedyAthenian comedy that developed at the end of the 4th century BC, stressing wit, romanticism, and twists of plot60
5632846523tropesa short dramatic dialogue inserted into the church mass during the early Middle Ages61
5632849573miracle playA late medieval play dramatizing a miracle or miracles performed by a saint. An outgrowth of the earlier medieval Corpus Christi play62
5632849574morality playA type of medieval and early Renaissance play that dramatizes how to live a pious life63
5632854765tragicomedya literary work- drama or story- containing a mixture of tragic and comic elements64
5632854766farcean outlandish physical comedy, overflowing with silly characters, improbable happenings, wild clowning, extravagant language, and bawdy jokes65
5632857650melodramaA sentimental dramatic form with an artificially happy ending66
5632861562social drama or problem dramaA type of problem play that deals with current social issues and the place of individuals in society67
5654057005Hypocritesmeaning "one who plays a part." It was the ancient Athenian word for actor68
5654057006Trilogya group of 3 literary works, usually related or unified. For the ancient Athenian festivals of Dionysus, each competing tragic dramatist submitted this, together with a satyr play69
5654057007Satyr playa form of comedy and burlesque play submitted by the ancient Athenian tragic dramatists along with their groups of 3 tragedies. On each day of tragic performances, this play was performed after the 3 tragedies70
5654057008Representation or mimesisAristotle's idea that drama (tragedy) represents rather than duplicates history71
5663247503cycle1. a group of closely related works 2. In medieval religious drama, the complete set of plays performed during the Corpus Christi festival, from the creation of the world to the resurrection.72
5663250990dithyrambAn ancient Athenian poetic form sung by choruses during the earliest Dionysia. The first tragedies originated from this73
5663266232reversal, peripeteiaAristotle's term for a sudden reversal, when the action of a work, particularly a play, veers around quickly to its opposite74
5663269918anagnorisis, recognitionAristotle's term describing that point in a play, usually the climax, when a character experiences understanding75
5663269919pathosThe "scene of suffering" in tragedy, which Aristotle defines as "a destructive or painful action, such as death on the stage, bodily agony, wounds, and the like," It is the scene of suffering that is intended to evoke the response of pit from the audience76
5663269920seriousThe first element in Aristotle's definition of tragedy, demonstrating the most elevated and significant aspects of human character77
5663272243completethe second element in Aristotle's definition of tragedy, emphasizing the logic and wholeness of the play78
5663272244magnitudeThe third element in Aristotle's definition of tragedy, emphasizing that a play should be neither too long nor too short, so that artistic balance and proportion can be maintained79
5663278582hamartia, traffic flawThe Greek work for "error or frailty" that brings about the downfall or suffering of tragic protagonist80
5663284680orchestra1. In ancient Greek theaters this or "dancing parties" was the circular area at the base of the amphitheater where the chorus performed 2. In modern theaters, this regards to the first floor or first floor where the audience sits81
5663288107buskins, cothurnielegantly laced boots worn by actors in ancient Greek tragedy. eventually they became elevator shoes to stress the royal status of actors by making them seem especially tall82
5663291704stichomythyIn ancient Athenian drama, dialogue consisting one-line speeches designed for rapid interchanges between characters83
5663291705stasimonA choral ode separating the episodes in Greek tragedies. Because of the word's derivation, it would seem that the chorus was sitting in the orchestra and watching during the episodes, and then stood before speaking or chanting its designated odes84
5663295054unities, three unitiesTraditionally associated with Aristotle's description of drama as expressing in the Poetics, the three unities are those of action, place, and time. They are a function of verisimilitude85
5663313518blocking agenta person, circumstance, or attitude that obstructs the plans of various characters, such as the parental denial of permission to marry86
5663313519plot of intrigueThe dramatic rendering of how a young woman and her lover, often aided by a maidservant or soubrette, usually foil a blocking agent (usually a parent or guardian)87
5663317227comica pattern of action, including funny situations and language, that is solvable and correctible, and therefore satisfying88
5663321231comedy of mannersa form of comedy, usually regular (5 acts or three acts) in which attitudes and customs are examined and satirized in the light of high intellectual and moral standards. The dialogue is witty and sophisticated, and characters are often measured according to their linguistic and intellectual powers89
5663323918satiric comedya form of comedy designed to correct social and individual behavior by ridiculing human vices and follies90
5663328845ironic comedy, realistic comedy, and comedy of absurdA modern form of comedy dramatizing the apparent pointless, ambiguity, uncertainty, and absurdity or existence91
5663328846sitcomsa serial type of modern tv comedy dramatizing the circumstances, assumptions, and actions of a fixed number of characters92
5663337430slapstickA type of low farce in which the humor depends almost entirely on physical actions and sight gags93

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