ENGLISH UNIT 12

• Types of Drama


  • Allegory
  • Burlesque
  • Farce
  • Melodrama
  • Naturalistic play
  • Problem play
  • Realistic play
  • Romantic play
  • Travesty
• Allegory


  A type of drama with symbolic characters representing abstract concepts
• Burlesque


  A type of drama that ridicules or satirizes a well-known play or dramatic style
• Farce


  A type of drama that exaggerates comic and highly improbable situations
• Melodrama


  A type of drama filled with pathetic situations
• Naturalistic play


  A drama that presents the dark sides of life
• Problem play

  A drama that presents a current social problem and provides a solution or course of action
• Realistic play


  A drama that presents an image of what is really happening in society
• Romantic play


  A type of drama that magnifies and embellishes reality
• Travesty


  A type of satirical drama that pokes fun on manners, a way of life, or old beliefs
• Terms Used in Theater

  • Aside
  • Chorus
  • Comic relief
  • Deus ex machina
  • Dramatis personae
  • Monologue
  • Pathos
  • Recognition
  • Reversal
• Aside


  Words directed to the audience but are not "heard" by other characters on stage during a performance
• Chorus


  A group of characters in Greek tragedy (and in later forms of drama) led by a choragos, who comment on the action of a play from an outsider's perspective
• Comic relief


  The use of a humorous scene to interrupt a series of intensely tragic dramatic moments
• Deus ex machina


  The use of artificial, sometimes supernatural, means to resolve the conflict of a play
• Dramatis personae


  The characters or persons in a play
• Monologue


  A speech by a single character without another character's response
• Pathos


  A quality of a play's action that moves the audience to feel pity for a character
• Recognition


  A point at which a character fully understands the consequences of his actions or the truth about who he is
• Reversal


  A surprising turning point in life of the protagonist
• Soliloquy


  A speech in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on the stage
• Allegory is a type of drama with symbolic characters representing abstract concepts
• Farce is a type of drama that exaggerates comic and highly improbable situations
• Satire is a type of satirical drama that pokes fun on manners, a way of life, or old beliefs
• Realism is a type of drama that presents an image of what is really happening in society
• Melodrama is a type of drama filled with pathetic situations
• Comic relief is the use of a humorous scene to interrupt a series of intensely tragic dramatic moments
• Aside are words spoken by an actor directly to the audience, which are not "heard" by the other characters on stage during a play
• Deus ex machina refers to the use of artificial, sometimes supernatural, means to resolve the conflict of a play
• Travesty is when Sarah Bernhardt, a famous actress, plays the role of a male character, Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Hamlet
• When performing on stage, proper vocal skills should be properly used to effectively and clearly communicate the spoken word to the audience
• Volume


  Change the volume of your voice (loud, moderate, or soft) to emphasize the shift of mood in the story
• Pitch


  Adjust the pitch (high and low) of your voice to indicate the character's emotion
• Pacing


  Deliver the lines with the right pacing - slow down in the gloomy or mysterious parts, hasten when the characters are in action
• Pauses


  Use effective pauses to capture the audience's attention and emphasize important words, phrases, or sentences
• Tone


  Use the appropriate tone of voice (firm, nasal, screechy, somber, high-pitched, whispery, etc.) that shows the character's attitude
• Articulation


  Articulate the words properly by opening your mouth and positioning your tongue properly
• You can use marks on your script to remind you of prosodic features like slashes for short stops, double slashes for long pauses, arrows for speed up/slow down, and arrows up/down for pitch
• Good posture and stance (chin up, shoulders back, chest higher, abs tight, knees relaxed, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on sides) show confidence when speaking
• Facial expressions should match the message - e.g. ecstatic for an ecstatic character