drama terms

Question 1

comedy

Answer 1

lighter drama which leading characters overcome their difficulties which temporarily beset them

Question 2

problem play

Answer 2

drama of social criticism discusses social economic or political problems by means of a play

Question 3

farce

Answer 3

when a comedy involves ridiculous or hilarious complications with out regard for human values

Question 4

comedy of manners

Answer 4

comedy which wittily portrays fashionable life

Question 5

fantasy

Answer 5

a play movie or book in comic spirit which the author gives free reign to his fantasy allowing things to happen with out regard to reality

Question 6

melodrama

Answer 6

like a farce it pays almost no attention to human values but it’s object is to give a thrill instead of a laugh often good entertainment never any literary value

Question 7

medieval mystery plays

Answer 7

dealt with bible stories and allegorical mysteries

Question 8

masques

Answer 8

slight plays involving a lot of singing dancing and costuming they were usually allegorical

Question 9

allusion

Answer 9

indirect reference by casually mentioning something that is generally familiar

Question 10

aside

Answer 10

lines whispered to the audience or another character

Question 11

catastrophe

Answer 11

final event in a drama

Question 12

comedy

Answer 12

a light play with a happy ending

Question 13

comic relief

Answer 13

a bit of humor injected into a serious play to relieve the heavy tension of tragic events

Question 14

crisis or climax

Answer 14

turning point

Question 15

dramatic irony

Answer 15

occurs when the audience knows something that the character doesn’t

Question 16

foreshadow

Answer 16

a method of expression in which the ordinary meaning of the word is opposite to the thought in the speakers mind

events contrary to what would be naturally expected

Question 17

metaphor

Answer 17

implied comparison between 2 different things

Question 18

metonymy

Answer 18

a figure of speech where the name of a thing is substituted for the attribute which it suggests

Question 19

nemesis

Answer 19

agent of retribution

Question 20

personification

Answer 20

giving life like quality to an inanimate things

Question 21

poetic justice

Answer 21

the operation of justice in a play with fair distribution of rewards for good deeds and punishment for wrong doing

Question 22

simile

Answer 22

and expressed comparison between 2 different things using like or as

Question 23

soliloquy

Answer 23

a single character on stage thinking out loud

Question 24

tragedy

Answer 24

a serious play having an unhappy ending

Question 25

tragic flaw

Answer 25

a character trait that leads one to his or her own downfall or destruction

Question 26

tragedy

Answer 26

involves the ruin of the lead characters