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WorksheetsDrama and Comedy Terms
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
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.
double entendre
A type of pun that uses a single word with multiple meanings.
A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.
A humorous play on words that involves a misunderstanding.
A rhetorical device used to persuade an audience.
parody
A work that imitates another for humorous effect.
A serious imitation of a literary style.
A work that critiques another without humor.
A type of poetry that expresses deep emotions.
suspension of disbelief
A psychological state where the audience accepts fictional elements as real to enjoy a narrative.
A technique used by writers to create suspense in a story.
A method of storytelling that relies on factual accuracy.
A form of entertainment that requires no emotional investment.
stage directions
A playwright's descriptive or interpretive comments that provide actors and directors with information about the dialogue, setting, and action of a play.
A set of rules that actors must follow during a performance.
A type of script that includes only the dialogue of the characters.
A visual representation of the stage layout for a play.
dialogue
A type of music composition.
The conversation between characters.
A form of written poetry.
A method of public speaking.
dramatic irony
The audience knows something that one or more characters doesn't know.
All characters are aware of the same information.
The audience is misled by the characters' actions.
Characters have conflicting information about a situation.
farce
A serious drama with deep emotional themes.
Use of buffoonery and horseplay, typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.
A type of poetry that expresses personal feelings.
A historical narrative that focuses on real events.
stereotype
The audience recognizes the character type and brings their prior knowledge to create a humorous effect.
A character that is fully developed and complex.
A character that undergoes significant change throughout the story.
A character that serves as a foil to the protagonist.
soliloquy
A type of dialogue between two characters in a play.
A speech in a play given while no other characters are on stage; represents the character thinking aloud.
A musical number performed by a solo artist in a theater.
A narrative technique used to provide background information.
couplet
A couple of lines that rhyme.
A type of poem with three stanzas.
A single line of verse.
A poem that tells a story.
