5631396004 | drama | focuses 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 action | 0 | |
5631472809 | dialogue | the conversation of two or more characters | 1 | |
5631481679 | monologue | spoken by a single character who is usually alone onstage | 2 | |
5631489629 | stage directions | are the playwright's instructions about facial and vocal expression, movement and action, gesture and "body language," stage appearance, lighting, and similar matters | 3 | |
5631513519 | characters | persons the playwright creates to embody the play's actions, ideas, and attitudes | 4 | |
5631557742 | round, dynamic, developing, and growing character | they possess great motivation; profits from experience and undergoes a development in awareness, insight, understanding, moral capacity, and the ability to make decisions ex: Hamlet | 5 | |
5631623864 | motivation | something round characters possess | 6 | |
5631651056 | flat, static, fixed, and unchanging character | does not undergo any change or growth. They remain fixed and static | 7 | |
5631680467 | Realistic characters | are designed to seem like individualized women and men; the dramatist gives them thoughts, desires, motives, personalities, and lives of their own | 8 | |
5631701321 | Nonrealistic characters | often undeveloped and symbolic | 9 | |
5631716382 | stereotype or stock characters | unindividualized 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 pioneer | 10 | |
5631764592 | ancillary characters | set off or highlight the protagonist and who provide insight into the action | 11 | |
5631787171 | foil | the 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 Hamlet | 12 | |
5631861047 | choric figure | second type; loosely connected to the choruses of ancient drama. Usually a single character and often a confidant of the protagonist Ex: Haoratio is the Hamlet | 13 | |
5631883439 | raisonneur or commentator | when the choric figure expresses ideas about the play's major issues and actions | 14 | |
5631891593 | symbolic | characters that can symbolize ideas, moral values, religious concepts, ways of life, or some other abstraction | 15 | |
5631914670 | actions or incidents | plays are made up of series of sequential and related ... which are connected by chronology | 16 | |
5631932755 | chronology | the logic of time | 17 | |
5631951469 | plot | principles underlying this ordered chain of actions and reactions is . . . | 18 | |
5631979928 | double or multiple plot | two or more different but related lines of actions. Usually have a main plot and the subplot | 19 | |
5631992225 | main plot | the main plot of the drama | 20 | |
5632003921 | subplot | can be independently important and sometimes even more interesting than the main plot | 21 | |
5632023198 | structure | the way a play is arranged or laid out | 22 | |
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 catastrophe | 23 | |
5632062520 | rising action | the reader sees the beginning of difficulties that seem overwhelming and insolucle Ex: when we learn in Hamlet in the exposition of the king's death | 24 | |
5632102166 | crisis 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 scene | 25 | |
5632144892 | falling action | contains 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 prayer | 26 | |
5632205077 | denouement "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 | |
5632234478 | point of view | refers to the narrative voice of the story, the speaker or guiding intelligence through which the characters and actions are presented | 28 | |
5632242988 | play's perspective | focus; the ways in which dramatists direct attention to the play's characters and actions and their concerns | 29 | |
5632285415 | tone or atmosphere | authors 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 attitudes | 30 | |
5632322299 | dramatic irony | one of the most common methods playwrights employ to control the tone of the play | 31 | |
5632360993 | situational or verbal irony | refers 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 completely | 32 | |
5632394777 | cultural or universal symbols | are generally understood by the audience or reader regardless of the context in which they appear Ex: crosses, flags, snakes | 33 | |
5632415380 | contextual or private symbols | develop their impact only within the context of a specific play or even a particular scene; might not realize something is symbolic at first | 34 | |
5632435167 | allegory or allegorical | when a play offers consistent and sustained symbols that refer to general human experiences | 35 | |
5632497412 | play's subject | the aspects of humanity a playwright explores constitutes this | 36 | |
5632520205 | play's theme | the ideas that the play dramatizes make up the meaning which is this | 37 | |
5632528464 | performance | that 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 audience | 38 | |
5632563591 | actors | are trained and have the experience to exert their intelligence, emotions, imaginations, voices, and bodies to make their characters real to us | 39 | |
5632589474 | blocking | when they move about the stage according to patterns called this, they move as they imagine the characters might move | 40 | |
5632609091 | stage business | actors engage in this. gestures or movements that make the play dynamic, spontaneous, and often funny | 41 | |
5632630041 | director | in 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 producer | 42 | |
5632636787 | producer | the one with the money is responsible for financing and arranging the production | 43 | |
5632659379 | thrust 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 here | 44 | |
5632690835 | theater-in-the-round | a 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 audience | 45 | |
5632717578 | sets or scenery | to establish the action in place and time, to underscore the ideas of the director, and to determine the level of reality of the productions | 46 | |
5632738267 | scene | permanent location; resembling a framed picture | 47 | |
5632757607 | properties or props | some 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 | |
5632779861 | unit set | a series of platforms, rooms, stairs, and exits that form the locations for all the play's actions | 49 | |
5632789859 | realistic setting or naturalistic setting | a stage setting designed to imitate, as closely as possible, the everyday world, often to the point o emphasizing poverty and dreariness | 50 | |
5632792595 | nonrealistic setting | dreamlike, fantastic, symbolic, and otherwise artificial setting that makes no attempt to present an imitation of everyday reality | 51 | |
5632812882 | proscenium stage, proskenion | 1. 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 play | 52 | |
5632817002 | lighting | the general word describing the many types, positions, directions, and intensities of artificial lights used in the theater | 53 | |
5632819570 | costumes and makeup | The 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 hunchback | 54 | |
5632819571 | audience, intended reader or listener | 1. 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 scientists | 55 | |
5632825033 | tragedy | A 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 existence | 56 | |
5632828073 | comedy | A 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 laughter | 57 | |
5632830859 | Old Comedy, old attic comedy | the Athenian comedies of the 5th century BC, featuring song, dance, ribaldry, satire, and invective. | 58 | |
5632830860 | Middle Comedy | The 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 antiquity | 59 | |
5632833823 | New Comedy | Athenian comedy that developed at the end of the 4th century BC, stressing wit, romanticism, and twists of plot | 60 | |
5632846523 | tropes | a short dramatic dialogue inserted into the church mass during the early Middle Ages | 61 | |
5632849573 | miracle play | A late medieval play dramatizing a miracle or miracles performed by a saint. An outgrowth of the earlier medieval Corpus Christi play | 62 | |
5632849574 | morality play | A type of medieval and early Renaissance play that dramatizes how to live a pious life | 63 | |
5632854765 | tragicomedy | a literary work- drama or story- containing a mixture of tragic and comic elements | 64 | |
5632854766 | farce | an outlandish physical comedy, overflowing with silly characters, improbable happenings, wild clowning, extravagant language, and bawdy jokes | 65 | |
5632857650 | melodrama | A sentimental dramatic form with an artificially happy ending | 66 | |
5632861562 | social drama or problem drama | A type of problem play that deals with current social issues and the place of individuals in society | 67 | |
5654057005 | Hypocrites | meaning "one who plays a part." It was the ancient Athenian word for actor | 68 | |
5654057006 | Trilogy | a 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 play | 69 | |
5654057007 | Satyr play | a 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 tragedies | 70 | |
5654057008 | Representation or mimesis | Aristotle's idea that drama (tragedy) represents rather than duplicates history | 71 | |
5663247503 | cycle | 1. 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 | |
5663250990 | dithyramb | An ancient Athenian poetic form sung by choruses during the earliest Dionysia. The first tragedies originated from this | 73 | |
5663266232 | reversal, peripeteia | Aristotle's term for a sudden reversal, when the action of a work, particularly a play, veers around quickly to its opposite | 74 | |
5663269918 | anagnorisis, recognition | Aristotle's term describing that point in a play, usually the climax, when a character experiences understanding | 75 | |
5663269919 | pathos | The "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 audience | 76 | |
5663269920 | serious | The first element in Aristotle's definition of tragedy, demonstrating the most elevated and significant aspects of human character | 77 | |
5663272243 | complete | the second element in Aristotle's definition of tragedy, emphasizing the logic and wholeness of the play | 78 | |
5663272244 | magnitude | The 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 maintained | 79 | |
5663278582 | hamartia, traffic flaw | The Greek work for "error or frailty" that brings about the downfall or suffering of tragic protagonist | 80 | |
5663284680 | orchestra | 1. 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 sits | 81 | |
5663288107 | buskins, cothurni | elegantly 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 tall | 82 | |
5663291704 | stichomythy | In ancient Athenian drama, dialogue consisting one-line speeches designed for rapid interchanges between characters | 83 | |
5663291705 | stasimon | A 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 odes | 84 | |
5663295054 | unities, three unities | Traditionally 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 verisimilitude | 85 | |
5663313518 | blocking agent | a person, circumstance, or attitude that obstructs the plans of various characters, such as the parental denial of permission to marry | 86 | |
5663313519 | plot of intrigue | The 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 | |
5663317227 | comic | a pattern of action, including funny situations and language, that is solvable and correctible, and therefore satisfying | 88 | |
5663321231 | comedy of manners | a 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 powers | 89 | |
5663323918 | satiric comedy | a form of comedy designed to correct social and individual behavior by ridiculing human vices and follies | 90 | |
5663328845 | ironic comedy, realistic comedy, and comedy of absurd | A modern form of comedy dramatizing the apparent pointless, ambiguity, uncertainty, and absurdity or existence | 91 | |
5663328846 | sitcoms | a serial type of modern tv comedy dramatizing the circumstances, assumptions, and actions of a fixed number of characters | 92 | |
5663337430 | slapstick | A type of low farce in which the humor depends almost entirely on physical actions and sight gags | 93 |
AP Literature: DRAMA Flashcards
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