Drama Terminology

When Romeo killed himself because he thought Juliet was dead, but we (audience) knew she wasn't dead.

• dramatic irony

• situational irony

• verbal irony

A character used to contrast another character: Cassius is this to Brutus, and Banquo is this to Macbeth.

• Catharsis

• Foil

• Motivation

• Characterization

Characters who are opposite in actions and thoughts from one another, set together to highlight their differences.

• antagonist

• situational irony

• protagonist

• foil

main character and good guy (?)

• tragic hero/antagonist

• foil

• tragic hero/protagonist

the protagonist in a tragedy

• tragic hero

• antagonist

• comic relief

• allusion

When something unexpected happens compared to what we were expecting.

• dramatic irony

• situational irony

• verbal irony

A literary work dealing with serious themes and the destruction of a main character through a flaw, as occurs in Julius Caesar and Macbeth.

• Tragedy

• Catharsis

• Forshadowing

• Drama

A moment when the character is alone on stage and speaks his or her thoughts and feelings

The audience perceives something that the characters in the story do not know

• Verbal irony

• Situational irony

• Dramatic irony

A literary work that is serious and ends in a devastating catastrophe

• Comedy

• Tragedy

• Play

• Epic