Drama Glossary

An ending speech that sums up the central point of the performance, often thanking the audience or asking for applause.

Also called “anagnorisis” in Ancient Greek tragedy, this is the recognition by the hero of his tragic fate, and his inability to change it.

A narrative or dramatic structure that uses loosely connected scenes to tell a story.

Something that is named after a person, such as a show or song title.

Archaic form of "before"

Obscure and understood by only a small number of people with special knowledge or interest.

An artificial language devised in 1887 as an international medium of communication, based on roots from the chief European languages.

The rich qualities and singular experiences a person possesses that make them unique.

The expected decorum and manners.

A speech given in honor of someone who has recently died.

Exaggerated resistance is when an actor makes an action more definite and sharper in order to create the illusion of physics, such as the tension when pulling on a rope or the struggle to lift a heavier object. (Exaggerated expressions and gestures are also used to help add to the illusion of resistance.)

When the acting style is ‘larger than life’ or magnified.