Brit Lit Terms

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Anagnorisis

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when a character makes a critical discovery or moment of awareness in the play

(ex. When Hamlet finds out that his father was murdered)

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Catharsis

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the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

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Brechtian Theater

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-theatrical movement of early to mid-twentieth century

-plays from this movement draw from the “alienation effect” that prevents audience from connecting to characters,

-use a simplified, non-realistic set design,

-and present actors who speak directly to audience and “break the fourth wall”, associated with Caryl Churchill (Cloud Nine)

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Monologue

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a moment in a play where only one character is speaking for a significant amount of time and other characters are on stage listening

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Soliloquy

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an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play

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Aside

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a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.

-like tevye

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Allegory

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-a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning,

-typically a moral or political one:

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Peripeteia

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-"turning point"

-Plot that is based on an unexpected change or reversal of fortune

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Miss en scene

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“place on stage” visual elements that help create meaning.

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Theater of the absurd

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-drama written by predominantly European playwrights,

-taken from the idea of the absurd: a conflict between the human desire to seek value and meaning in life and the inability to find it,

-world in these dramas is without God, meaning, or reason; not realistic,

-mix of comedy and tragedy/horror, minimal staging, nonsensical dialogue, characters engage in repetitive, meaningless behaviors

(Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett)

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Medieval morality plays

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popular in the 1400s and 1500s,

-use a didactic approach (teach moral and religious lesson),

-are allegorical (characters represent an abstract idea),

-perform in vernacular dialects rather than Latin (aimed to instruct an audience of uneducated commoners)

- Everyman written by anonymous

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Medieval cycle plays

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-performed as part of a cycle that dramatized biblical history,

-marked religious holidays and unified local communities,

-popular during 1300s - 1500s,

-performed mainly in England as English vernacular began to replace Latin,

-intertwines devine narratives and everyday human life

(The Second Shepherd’s Play - anonymous)

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Restoration drama

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city comedy / comedy of manners:

-Allowed women on the stage.

-Included tragedies, but comedies were hallmark.

-Comedies focused on sexual escapades of aristocracy and

-usually set in the city. (Aphra Behn - The Rover)

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Tragedy

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-Draw from Aristotle’s poetics

-Protagonist (usually upper class) has a tragic flaw, that comes from human frailty and that brings about his downfall,

-deal with peripeteia,

-anagnorisis,

-and catharsis,

-all about revenge and destruction

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Revenge Tragedy

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-a crime has occurred,

-a ghost appears to remind the audiences about the obligation to revenge the crime,

-the protagonist (revenger) seeks justice on his own b/c the law or monarch won’t do it for him,

-the revenger dies

-his seeking of justice costs him;

Questions: is vengence a sin or a right? Must one always follow his political authorities? (Hamlet - Shakespeare)

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Romance

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-comes from the Middle French roman which is a narrative that contains wondrous and magical adventures

-Shakespearean romance: contains both tragic and comedic elements,

-involves a love intrigue and culminates in a happy ending but darker in tone and plot line than a comedy,

-all about reconciliation and second changes ,

-often contain magical elements,

-disguises and hidden identities are common (The Tempest - Shakespeare)

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Romantic Comedy

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-young single characters eager for love,

-various obstacles challenge,

-marriage serves as a happy resolution to the drama,

-goal of the plot is social unity

(Twelfth Night by Shakespeare)

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Comedy

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-elaborate plots,

-witty concise dialogue

-satire of society’s mannerisms and behaviors (The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde)

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Foil

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A foil is a character who is similar to another character, usually the protagonist, but is also different from the protagonist in some key ways. These differences serve to highlight some of the protagonist’s attributes or weaknesses.ex. Laertes could be a foil for Hamlet since both of their father’s were killed and they both jumped to Ophelia’s defense when she is buried. However Laertes seems more motivated to avenge his father’s death than Hamlet

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Stock Characters

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-included rake (carefree and witty womanizer who gambled and was often in-debt)

-and fop (foolish man concerned with appearance and luxuries)

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Protagonist

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main character in the play, in Tragedy genre: (usually upper class) has a “tragic flaw,” called hamartia, that comes from human frailty and that brings about his downfall