Dramatic Literature Flashcards

Grade 7 · English · Flashcards

Review key terms, devices, and structural elements used in the study of plays and dramatic literature.

Flashcards

Drama: Literature written to be performed on stage, conveyed through dialogue and stage directions.
Playwright: The author who writes a play.
Dramatis Personae: The list of characters appearing in a play, typically printed at the beginning of the script.
Act: A major division of a play, comparable to a chapter in a book.
Scene: A subdivision of an act; takes place in a single location at a continuous time.
Stage Directions: Written instructions in a script (usually italicized or bracketed) telling actors how to move and describing the setting.
Dialogue: The spoken words exchanged between characters in a play or story.
Soliloquy: A speech delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing their private inner thoughts to the audience.
Aside: A brief remark made directly to the audience that other characters on stage cannot hear.
Monologue: A long speech delivered by one character, heard by other characters present on stage.
Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something important that one or more characters do not.
Conflict: The central struggle driving the drama — internal or external.
Climax: The turning point of greatest tension in a drama.
Tragedy: A drama ending in the downfall or death of the protagonist, typically due to a fatal flaw.
Comedy: A drama characterized by humor and typically ending happily, often with reconciliation or marriage.