| Act | A subdivision of a play |
| Scene | A subdivision of an act of a play |
| Allusion | a figure of speech that makes a reference or representation of or to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. |
| Antagonist | The principal character in opposition to the protagonist or hero of a narrative or drama. |
| aside | a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage |
| Assonance | the repetition of similar vowels in the stressed syllables of successive words |
| Atmosphere | a particular environment or surrounding influence |
| conflict | opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot) |
| connotation | an idea that is implied or suggested |
| consonance | the repetition of consonants (or consonant patterns) especially at the ends of words |
| denotation | the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression |
| dialogue | a literary composition in the form of a conversation between two people |
| diction | A writer’s choice or words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning. |
| epiphany | a sudden realization; the “ah-ha!” moment |
| Flat | Character NOT given depth. |
| round | Character given depth |
| foil | a character who acts as a contrasts to another character |
| foreshadowing | hints to what will happen later in the plot |
| grave trap | a trapdoor located at the front/center of a stage |
| groundlings | playgoers who stood in the pit |
| imagery | words or phrases that creates a picture or image in the mind or appeal to the senses of the reader |
| irony | the use of words to create a meaning opposite to the literal meaning |
| lazzi | short comedic scene-either seperate from or a part of a longer performance. It generally involves the Zanni and is often used to refocus the audience. |
| metaphor | comparing two things using is or was |
| simile | comparing two things using like or as |
| monologue | a speech made by a single actor |
| mood | emotional atmosphere of the story |
| personification | the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas |
| playwright | person who writes plays |
| plot | chain of events that creates the story |
| props | movable objects used on the set of a play |
| protagonist | the hero. the main character |
| script | a written version of a play or other dramatic composition |
| set | the background on the stage |
| setting | The time and place of a story |
| soliloquy | a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections |
| spectacle | an elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale |
| stage | the platform that the actors act on |
| stage direction | an instruction written as part of the script of a play |
| suspense | excited anticipation of an approaching climax |
| suspension of disbelief | a willingness to suspend one’s critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment |
| symbol | something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible |
| tension | a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature) |
| theme | a broad idea in a story, or a message or lesson conveyed by a work |
| tiring house | dressing room, provided actors a variety of entries to the stage: windows, balconies, and two or more large doors. |
| tone | the quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author |
| universality | literature that has meaning to people from different time periods |
Macbeth Literary Terms
August 6, 2019