Ap English

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Act

Back 1

a major division in the action of the play, compromising one or more scenes. A break between acts often coincides with a point at which the plot jumps ahead in time.

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Antagonist

Back 2

the most prominent of the characters who oppose the protagonist or hero(ine) in a dramatic or narrative work; villain seeking to frustrate hero(ine); but in those works where the protagonist is represented as evil, the antagonist will be virtuous/sympathetic character

ex. Macduff in "Macbeth"

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Aside

Back 3

a short speech or remark spoken by a character in a drama, directed either to the audience or to another character, which by convention is supposed to be inaudible to other characters on stage

see also: soliloquy

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Catastrophe

Back 4

final resolution or denouement of the plot in a tragedy, usually involving the death of the protagonist

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catharsis

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effect of purgation/purification achieved by tragic drama, Aristotle-"tragedy should succeed in arousing pity and fear in such a way as to accomplish a catharsis of such emotions"; his metaphor of emotional cleansing has been read as a solution to audiences' pleasure or relief in witnessing the disturbing events of tragedy; another interpretation is that the protagonist's guilt is purged rather than the audiences' terror

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Character

Back 6

any of the persons involved in a story(sense 1)

distinguishing moral qualities and personal traits of a character (sense 2)

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flat character

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a character(1) whose character(2) is summed up in one or two traits

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round character

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a character (1) whose character(2) is complex and many-sided

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stock character

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stereotyped character; one whose nature is familiar to us from prototypes in previous fiction

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dynamic character

Back 10

character that is changed by the actions in which he/she is involved

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static character

Back 11

a character that remains unchanged or little changed throughout the course of the story

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climax

Back 12

turning point or high point in a plot's action

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comic relief

Back 13

interruption of a serious work, especially a tragedy, by a short, humorous episode that relieves emotional tension

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conflict

Back 14

clash of actions, desires, ideas, or goals in the plot of a story

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man vs man

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conflict between main character and some other person(s)

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man vs nature

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conflict between main character and external force - physical nature, society or "fate"

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man vs himself

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conflict between the main character and some destructive element in his own nature

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crisis

Back 18

decisive point in the plot of a play or story, upon which the outcome of the remaining action depends and which ultimately precipitates the catastrophe or denouement

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denouement

Back 19

the portion of a plot that reveals the final outcome of its conflicts or the solution of its mysteries

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deus ex machina

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("god from the machine") the resolution f a plot by use of highly improbable chance, coincidence, or artificial device that solves some difficult problem or crisis

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epilogue

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a concluding section of any written work during which the characters subsequent fates are briefly outlined

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exposition

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setting forth of a systematic explanation of or argument about any subject; introduction to characters and their situation, by reference to preceding events

adj: expository

verb: expound

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falling action

Back 23

segment of the plot that comes between the climax and the conclusion

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foil

Back 24

character whose qualities of actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist (or of some other character) by providing a strong contrast with them

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hamartia

Back 25

greek for error/failure; used by Aristotle in his "Poetics"( 4th century BC) to designate the false step that leads the protagonist in a tragedy to his/her downfall; SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH 'TRAGIC FALL'-A DEFECT IN CHARACTER. hamartia is action taken by character

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hero/heroine

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main character in narrative/dramatic work; protagonist is preferable since the leading character ma not be morally/otherwise superior. when expectations of heroic qualities are strikingly disappointed, the central character may be an anti-hero or anti-heroine

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hubris

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greek workd for 'insolence/affront', applies to arrogance/pride of the protagonist in a tragedy in which he/she defies moral laws or the gods. such transgression/hamartia leads to his/her downfall, may be understood as divine retribution. in proverbial terms, hubris is thus the pride that comes before a fall

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In medias res

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"in the middle of things"; technique of beginning a story in the middle of the action

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monologue

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an extended speech uttered by one speaker, either to others or as if alone.

see also: soliloquy

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narrator

Back 30

teller of a story

see also: point of view

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reliable narrator

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trustworthy

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unreliable narrator

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untrustworthy

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naïve narrator

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uncomprehending (child, simple-minded adult) who narrates the story without realizing its true implications

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intrusive narrator

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keeps interrupting the narrative to address the reader

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plot

Back 35

careful arrangement by an author of incidents in a narrative to achieve a desired affect

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prologue

Back 36

introductory section of a literary work or an introductory speech in a play

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protagonist

Back 37

central character in a story

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rising action

Back 38

part of plot leading through a series of events that increase interest/power to the climax/turning point. rising action begins w inciting moment, action, or event that sets a conflict of opposing forces into motion, and moves thru complications, an entangling of the affairs of the characters in a conflict, toward the climax, the major crisis that brings about a change in the fortunes of the protagonist

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scene

Back 39

subdivision of an act/play not divided into acts; scene normally represents actions happening in one place at one time, and is marked off from the next scene by a curtain, a black out, or a brief emptying of the stage