Drama and Comedy Terms

aside

• Words spoken by an actor directly to the audience or to a specific character, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage during a play.

• A type of dialogue that is meant to be heard by all characters on stage.

• A monologue delivered by a character in a play.

• A stage direction indicating a pause in the action.

slapstick

• Comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and humorously embarrassing events.

• A genre of drama that focuses on serious themes and moral lessons.

• A type of music characterized by its complex rhythms and harmonies.

• A form of visual art that emphasizes realism and detail.

act

• A major division in a play; all of Shakespeare's plays have five of these.

• A type of performance art that involves singing and dancing.

• A written work that is intended to be performed by actors.

• A scene in a play that focuses on a specific event.

monologue

• A speech by a single character without another character's response, though others are on stage.

• A dialogue between two characters exchanging ideas.

• A narrative told by a narrator without any character involvement.

• A performance involving multiple characters speaking simultaneously.

pun

• A type of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a term for humorous effect.

• A serious statement that conveys a deep meaning.

• A form of poetry that uses rhyme and meter.

• A narrative that tells a story with a moral lesson.

flawed plan

• A character is discussing a course of action, but it is obvious to the audience that one glaring aspect of it will cause it to fail.

• A character has a well-thought-out strategy that is likely to succeed.

• A character is unsure about their plan and seeks advice from others.

• A character's plan is perfect and has no foreseeable issues.

scene

• A traditional segment in a play that usually denotes a change in setting, time, or characters.

• A type of character that provides comic relief in a drama.

• A narrative technique used to create suspense in a story.

• A visual representation of a play's setting.

verbal irony

• The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.

• A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

• A form of exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

• A type of humor that relies on the absurdity of a situation.

comedy

• A type of drama in which the characters experience reversals of fortune, usually for the better.

• A serious narrative that often ends in tragedy.

• A form of entertainment that involves exaggerated characters and situations.

• A type of performance that focuses on romantic relationships.

situational irony

• The expected outcome occurs as planned.

• The opposite of what is expected happens.

• A character's thoughts are revealed to the audience but not to other characters.

• A situation where the outcome is more favorable than anticipated.