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