ENGLISH 9 MIDTERMS

• One Act Play


  A play that takes place from beginning to end in a single act, ranging from one minute to one hour long
• One-act play


  • A complete drama within one-act, brief, condensed, and single in effect
  • The unity of time, place and action must be observed
  • Presents one situation or episode, permitting no minor plots or side actions that may distract attention from the single purpose and effect being developed
• Theme


  The central idea of a story, or the general idea about life that the story reveals, a message about life or human nature conveyed in the work of literature
• Themes commonly used in one-act plays and other forms of literature

  • Love
  • Death
  • Good vs evil
  • Coming of age
  • Power and corruption
  • Heroism
  • Prejudice
  • Individual vs society
  • Survival
  • Courage
• Plot of a one-act play

  • Different from a full-length play, only room for one major event in the story
  • Follows the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement/resolution
• Characters in a one-act play

  • Minimal characters involved
  • The hero/protagonist, the antagonist who arouses the conflict, and some other minimal characters to develop the story
• Dialogue in a one-act play

  • Must be concise and meaningful to deliver the plot and theme
  • Characters must be able to convey their feelings through the dialogue
  • Setting may be established through dialogue
• The play "Romeo and Juliet" explored many themes, but the most dominant and important theme was the forcefullness of love
• Setting


  • Providing details about time and place can provide important clues to the theme of the story
• Character and characterization


  • Characters are carefully crafted to represent aspects of the theme
  • The way a character grows or changes is often a key to the theme
• Plot


  • The chain of events that take place in a story, the decisions the main character makes and the outcomes of those decisions often express a theme
• Conflict


  A struggle between two opposing forces, can be external or internal, how the characters react or resolve the conflict can express the play's theme
• Dialogue


  • Each line must be crafted carefully to focus on the theme, the incident and characters of the protagonist
• Stage directions


  • Sets of instructions that explain where and how actors should move and speak, can highlight the theme or convey an entirely different message if not appropriate
• Atmosphere


  The literary technique the writers use to give the audience a certain type of feeling based on details from the story such as setting, backgrounds, objects and foreshadowing, mood can be used in establishing atmosphere
• Theatre


  A collaborative art form including the composition, enactment, and interpretation of dramatic presentations for an audience, usually includes an orchestra or setting area and a stage
• Play


  A literary piece consisting of dialogue between various characters, epilogue, monologue, prologue and an end, refers to the composition
• Epilogue


  A final section or speech after the main part of the book, play, or musical composition
• Monologue


  A long speech made by one person that prevents anyone else from talking
• Prologue


  An introduction to a book, play etc.
• Drama


  Refers to acting and to the set up of the play which includes the theater, the hall, the accessories, the green room, costumes, music and the like
• Scene


  A division of an act, in which a certain portion of the play unfolds, usually separated by location (in the morning, then the following evening)
• Script


  The written version of a play or movie, used for practice and auditions
• Dramatist


  A person skilled in the production of a play, well-versed with the rudiments and the measurements of the stage, the nature of the characters, the costumes, the music to be played, the music room, the green room, the synchronization of music and dialogue delivery
• Playwright


  The author of the play, whose duty is to adhere to the principles of composing a play