 | Term | Definition |
| |
Tragedy |
a play in which the protagonist fails to achieve desired goals or is overcome by opposing forces |
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Pathos |
an element in drama that arouses feelings of pity and compassion in an audience |
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Hamartia |
an error in judgment or a shortcoming on the part of a tragic protagonist |
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Catharsis |
the emotional release an audience feels after the downfall of a tragic character |
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Comedy |
a play that treats characters and situations in a humorous way and has a happy ending |
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low comedy |
a type of comedy that is quite physical, sometimes vulgar, and highly exaggerated in style and performance |
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farce |
a kind of comedy characterized by clowning, practical jokes, and improbably characters and situations |
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screen scene |
farcical scenes in which some of the actors hide from the other actors onstage yet are still able to hear and comment on the onstage dialogue |
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aside |
a line spoken directly to the audience |
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burlesque |
a form of low comedy that mocks a broad topic |
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parody |
a type of low comedy that mocks a certain work by imitating the author’s style for comic effect |
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caricature |
an exaggeration of a certain feature of a character or a literary work |
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high comedy |
a type of comedy that includes comedy of manners and satire and that is characterized by clever lines, word plays, and allusions |
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comedy of manners |
a play that shows the humorous traits |
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satire |
a style of comedy that presents humorous attacks on accepted conventions of society, holding up human vices and follies to ridicule |
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fantasy |
a play that deals with unrealistic and fantastic characters |
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romantic comedy |
a play that presents an idealized love affair; written in the style of romanticism |
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sentimental comedy |
18th century genre that was a reaction to the immorality in Restoration drama; presents life as ideal |
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melodrama |
originally considered serious plays, now usually plays based on romantic plots that have little regard for convincing motivation or detailed characterization and that have the primary goal of keeping an audience involved using any means |
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play of ideas |
a play that deals with a social problem or ethical issue, sometimes presenting a solution |
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theatrical conventions |
practices generally accepted in lieu of realistic depiction – determine general positions for set pieces and entrance area, i.e. almost all furniture faces the audience; exterior doors are usually offstage right; interior doors are usually stage left or upstage; fireplaces tend to be placed on stage-right walls; French doors are usually stage left; living-room and dining-room furniture often appear in the same area |
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representational |
a play performed as if the audience is watching the action through an imaginary fourth wall |
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presentational |
a play in which the audience is recognized as an audience and the play as a play; consequently, the actors may speak directly to the audience |
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allegory |
a form of storytelling that reaches moral concepts by using symbolic characters, events, or objects |
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