Drama Flashcards
Comedy
Narrative, with the intent of making the audience laugh. Any work that tells the story of a sympathetic main characters rise in fortune. Protagonists are ordinary people of unremarkable morality.
Tragedy
Subjects that are dealt with our dark (war and death) protagonist always have a tragic flaw that keep them from a happy ending. Portrays a heroes fall and fortune, while including terror and pity in audiences. Their downfall is a result from personal action, choice, or error, not by bad luck or accident.
Soliloquies
Meant to share a character’s inner thoughts, Time is not frozen
Aside
Method of expressing a thought or information during a play that only the audience can hear. Time freezes.
Farce
Aims of entertaining through highly exaggerated and improbable situations. Features complications and twists that continue throughout and incredible coincidences that would likely never occur in reality. Mistaken identity, deceptions, and disguises are common devices used in farcical comedies.
Romantic comedy
Two people well-suited to one another, are either brought together for the first time, or reconciled after being separated. They are usually both sympathetic characters, and seem destined to be together, yet they are separated by some intervening complication, such as ex lovers, interfering, parents or friends, or differences in social class. The happy ending is achieved through the lovers overcoming all these obstacles.
Melodrama
Appeal to the audience’s emotions. Story is passionate and sensational, with characters, portrayed with stereotypes, and one dimensional personalities.
Musical drama
Music, especially singing, or dancing, is used along with dialogue, and acting to tell the story.
Satirical comedies
Classical definition of comedy by depicting, a main characters, rise in fortune, but they also fit the definition of satire by making that main character, either a fool, morally, corrupt, or cynical an attitude.
Black comedy
When satirical comedy is extended to extremes, wherein the comedic occurrences are grotesque or terrible.
Anagnórisis (tragedy critical term 1 of 5)
Tragic insight, or recognition, this is a moment of realization, buy a tragic, hero or heroine that he, or she has become enmeshed in a web of fate
Hamartia (tragedy critical term 2 of 5)
A tragic flaw but is better described as a tragic error. It’s an archery term. Meaning a shot missing the bull’s-eye, used here as a metaphor for a mistake, often a simple one which results in catastrophe.
Hubris (tragedy critical term, 3 of 5)
While often called pride, this is actually translated as violent transgression, and signifies an arrogant overstepping of moral or cultural bounds – the sin of a tragic hero, who, over presumes or over aspires.
Nemesis (tragedy critical term, 4 of 5)
Translated as retribution, this represents the cosmic punishment or payback the tragic hero ultimately receives for committing hubristic (prideful/over presumption/ over aspire) acts.
Peripateia (tragedy critical term 5 of 5)
Literal turning, this is a plot reversal, consisting of a tragic hero’s, pivotal action, which changes his or her status from safe to endangered.
