Romeo & Juliet Act One - Dramatic Terms

Aside

• A character makes a short speech that is heard by the audience but not by other characters

• Comment on the characters and events in the play

• An aside heard by some characters on the stage, but not all

• Two or more characters in a conversation

Aside (to another character)

• A character makes a short speech that is heard by the audience but not by other characters

• Comment on the characters and events in the play

• An aside heard by some characters on the stage, but not all

• Two or more characters in a conversation

Dialogue

• Long speech, many people on stage

• Conversation between 2+ people

• Long speech, one person on stage

• Short speech heard by only the audience

The purpose of the Chorus is to:

• Comment on the characters and events in the play

• Sing summaries of the previous scene

• Help the audience’s understand of the play

• Interpret and recall past events or to foretell the future

Foil

• Long uninterrupted speeches, most often to express mental thoughts

• One character's personality is the complete opposite of another's personality

• A stereotype

• Provides the background information needed to understand the story

Who is the main character foil in Act One?

• Tybalt & Benvolio

• Romeo & Juliet

• Lords Montague & Capulet

• The Nurse & Friar Laurence

Stock Character

• Another name for a dynamic character

• A character whose personality is the opposite of another character

• A stereotype that replaces a character's names with their occupation

• Reveals the personality of the character

Example of a Stock Character

• Tybalt

• The Nurse

• Romeo

• Lord Capulet

Monologue

• A short speech that is heard by the audience but not by other characters

• Two or more characters in a conversation

• Long uninterrupted speech by one character, alone on stage

• Long uninterrupted speech by one character, many characters on stage

Example of a Monologue

• Prince Escalus's speech (I.i.76-98)

• Romeo upon seeing Juliet (I.v.44-53)

• Mercutio's "Queen Mab" (I.iv.53-95)

• Romeo & Juliet (I.v.93-107)