Important Drama Terms

play within a play

a brief drama within a play that reflects on the larger play

foil

a character whose personality traits contrast sharply with the traits of another character

aside

a comment by a character to the audience that reveals his or her inner thoughts and is not supposed to be heard by the other characters on the stage

comic relief

a humorous scene or incident that appears in a serious play to relieve emotional intensity

comedy

a lighthearted play that end happily

foreshadowing

a line or an event in a play that gives a clue about what's going to happen later

history play

a play set in the past, usually about royalty and the struggle for power

tragedy

a serious play with a disastrous ending

soliloquy

a speech by a single character on stage who reveals his or her thoughts to the audience

tragic flaw

a trait that will eventaully bring about a character's downfall

crisis or climax

a turning point in the plot after which the situation for the main character will either improve or grow worse

irony

the contrast between the expected outcome of the situation and the actual outcome; also when the audience knows something a character onstage is unaware of

catastophe

the final event of the dramatic action in a tragedy

motivation

the reasons behind a character's actions

conflict

the struggle between two opposing forces that provides interest and suspense in a drama