Dramatic Devices Overview

• Characters


  Individuals in a play who drive the plot
• Theme


  Central idea or message of a play
• Stage Directions


  Instructions in the script for actors and stage crew
• Dramatic Devices


  Techniques to add depth and meaning in a play
• Aside


  Character's remark to the audience unheard by others
• Dramatic Convention


  Creating an illusion of reality in a play
• Character Foil


  Contrasting character highlighting main character traits
• Dramatic Irony


  Audience knowing more than characters in the play
• Soliloquy


  Character's speech revealing inner thoughts