1.
acts: a major division in the action of a play. The ends of an acts are typically indicated by lowering the curtain or turning up the houselights.
2.
catharsis: describes the release of the emotions of pity and fear by the audience at the end of a tragedy.
3.
chorus: a group of people who serve mainly as commentators on the characters and events.
4.
Closet dramas: a play that is written to be read rather than performed onstage.
5.
convention: A characteristic of a literary genre that is understood and accepted by audiences because it has come, through usage and time, to be recognized as familiar technique.
6.
cothurni/buskins: the actors were equipped with padded costumes and elevated shoes that made them appear larger than life.
7.
deus ex machina: Latin for "God from the Machine". a method of rescuing characters from complications beyond their abilities to resolve.
8.
dialogue: the verbal exchanges between characters, that reveal their thoughts, responses, and emotional states making the characters seem real.
9.
drama: derived from the greek word dram meaning "to do or to perform" .
10.
dramatic irony: creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the audience knows to be true.
11.
episodia: characters engage in dialogue that frequently consists of heated debates dramatizing the play's conflict.
12.
exodus: last scene, follows the final episode and stasimon; in it the resolution occurs and the characters leave the stage.
13.
exposition: a narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work, that provides necessary background information about the characters and their circumstances.
14.
hamarita: misfortune or weakness of the protagonist.
15.
hubris/hybris: excessive pride or self-confidence that leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law.
16.
one-act play: a play that takes place in a single location and unfolds as one continuous action.
17.
orchestra: "dancing Palace" seating on the main floor in a theater
18.
parodos: the chorus makes it's first entrance and gives it's perspective on what the audience has learned in the prologue.
19.
play: a general term for a work of dramatic literature.
20.
Playwright: A writer who makes a play.
21.
prologue: the opening speech or dialogue of a play, or intro to any literary work.
22.
recognition: the moment in a story when previously unknown or withheld information is revealed to the protagonist, resulting in the discovery of the truth of his or her situation.
23.
reversal: the point in a story when the protagonist's fortunes turn in an unexpected direction.
24.
scene: in drama it is a subdivision of an act.
25.
Script: the written text of a play, which includes the dialogue between characters, stage direction, and often other expository information.
26.
setting: the physical and social context in which the action of a story occurs. major elements are the time, place, and social environment that frame the characters.
27.
skene: a stage building that serves as dressing rooms.
28.
stasimon: the chorus responds to or interpret the preceding dialogue.
29.
suspense: the anxious anticipation of a reader or an audience as to the outcome of a story, especially concerning the character or characters with whom sympathetic attachments are formed.
30.
tragedy: a story that presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveal the breadth and depth of human spirit in the face of failure, defeat, and even death.
31.
tragedy(aristotles definition): the downfall of a noble hero or heroine, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods.
32.
tragic flaw: an error or defect in the tragic hero that leads to his downfall, such as greed, pride, or ambition.
33.
tragic irony: is a form a dramatic irony found in tragedies such as Oedipus the king where he tries to find the person responsible for the plague and ended up hunting himself.
