A major division within a play, similar to a chapter in a book

How many acts does West Side Story have?Two

How many acts does Romeo and Juliet have?Five

A short speech directed to the audience or another character that is not heard by the other characters on stage

Think about Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment on Big Bang Theory

Blank VerseUnrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

You stars that reign'd at my nativity,Whose influence hath allotted death and hell,Now draw up Faustus like a foggy mistInto entrails of yon labouring clouds,That when they vomit forth into the air,My limbs may issue from their smoky mouths,So that my soul may but ascend to Heaven.

ComedyA dramatic work that is light and often

humorous in tone, usually ending happily

Comic ReliefConsists of humorous scenes, incidents, or

speeches that are included in a serious drama to give the audience a “break”

DialogueWritten conversation between two or more characters

“Hello, Abby!” said Mary“Oh, hi!” Abby responded.“Do you like my hat?” Mary asked.“No, I do not like your hat,” Abby replied.

In plays:

Mary: Hello, Abby!

Abby: Oh, hi!

Mary: Do you like my hat?

Abby: No, I do not like your hat.

DramaLiterature in which plots and characters are

developed through dialogue and action; in other words, literature in play form

Dramatic IronyWhere the reader or viewer knows something

that a character does not know

EpilogueA short addition at the end of a literary work,

often dealing with the future of the characters

Figurative LanguageCommunicates the meanings beyond the

literal meanings of words Examples: simile, metaphor, personification,

etc.

FoilA character who provides a striking contrast

to another character

ForeshadowingA writer’s use of hints or clues to suggest

events that will occur later in the storyIf a character in a movie coughs…

Iambic PentameterA meter pattern of five feet per line, and every other syllable is stressed (accented)

Example: u / u / u / u / u /

So long / as men / can breathe / or eyes / can see

u / u / u / u / u /

So long / lives this / and this / gives life / to thee

MetaphorA figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things and does not use like or as

Examples:He’s a giraffe!That worker is pretty green!

OxymoronA concise (short) paradox that brings together two contradictory (opposite) terms

Examples:Jumbo shrimpPretty uglyDefinite maybeVirtual realitySame differenceAlmost exactly

ParadoxA seemingly absurd statement that actually suggests an important truth

Examples:Nobody goes to that restaurant; it’s too crowded

Don’t go near the water until you’ve learned to swim.

If you get this message, call me; if you don’t, then don’t worry about it

PersonificationA figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea

Example:The waves danced on the beach.The sun gazed at us from the sky.

PrologueAn introductory scene in a drama

PunA joke that comes from a play on wordsExamples:

Corduroy pillows are making headlines.Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants’ fingers.

Santa’s helpers are subordinate Clauses.A horse is a very stable animal.Energizer Bunny arrested -- charged with battery.

SceneDivision of a play that presents an episode of the plot; it typically occurs and a single place and time

SimileA figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things using like or as

Example:He’s as strong as an ox.She looks like an angel.

SoliloquyA speech in which a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud; generally the character is on the stage alone

SonnetA poem of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter

Stage DirectionsInstructions in a play that serve as a guide to directors, set and lighting designers, performers, and readers

Examples:Henry: I wonder what is taking so long…(scratches head)Moves stage left. He said he’d only be a minute.

TragedyA dramatic work that presents the downfall of a character(s); usually leads to a disastrous conclusion – death