Act | A section of the play. Shakespeare’s plays were put into 5 of these sections. |
Scene | A small section of a play. Acts were divided into scenes. |
Aside | Short comment by a character heard by the audience but not the other characters. Expresses true thoughts. Done by whispering or uttering under one’s breath. |
Monologue | A long speech given by a character. |
Dialogue | Speech between two or more characters |
Soliloquy | A long speech delivered usually when character is alone. The character reveal true emotions and thoughts. |
Dramatic Irony | When the audience knows something the characters on the stage do not. |
Verbal Irony | Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant. |
Situational Irony | An event that occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, reader, or audience. |
Double entendre | a word or expression capable of two interpretations, with one that is usually risqué (Slightly indecent or liable to shock, esp. by being sexually suggestive.) |
Pun | The humorous use of a word or a phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications. Or use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning. |
Flat character | a character that represents a single trait (or a very few traits). The behavior is usually predictable. (Benvolio, Tybalt, Prince, Lady Capulet) |
Round character | a character that has many traits, some of which may be contradictory. This kind of character is like a real person, and may behave in unpredictable ways. Most main characters are this type of character. (Romeo, Juliet, Capulet, Friar Lawrence, Nurse) |
Comic relief | a humorous scene or speech in a serious drama which is meant to provide relief from emotional intensity and, by contrast heighten the seriousness of the story |
Foreshadowing | Event or dialogue that plants hints about what will happen later in the story |
Medias Res | A term describing how actions on the stage begin “in the middle” |
Tragedy | a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful ending. |
Pathos | A quality of a play’s action that stimulates the audience to feel pity for a character. This is always an aspect of tragedy, and is occasionally present in comedy. |
Catharsis | A release of emotions that the audience experiences during a tragedy. |
Foil | A character that contrasts with another character, and so highlights various facets of the main character’s personality. |
Conceit | an extended, exaggerated comparison or metaphor between two unlike things. |
Allusion | an implied or direct reference to history or literature. |
Romeo and Juliet Dramatic Terms
August 10, 2019