DRAMA TERMS
SOLILOQUY
A single character alone on stage thinking
out loud
A way of letting the audience know what
is on the character’s mind
ASIDE
Words that are spoken by a character in a play
to the audience or to another character but that
are not supposed to be overheard by the others
onstage
A way for characters to tell a secret
FOIL
A character who is used as a contrast to
another character
TRAGIC FLAW
A trait that leads a character to
his/her downfall
COMIC RELIEF
A bit of humor in a serious play
to relieve tension and create
suspense
PUN
A play on words
A pun plays on the multiple
meanings on two words that sound
alike but have different meanings
IAMBIC METER
Each unstressed syllable is
followed by a stressed syllable
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
Five iambic units in a line
“But soft. What light through
yonder window breaks?”
BLANK VERSE
Poetry written in unrhymed
iambic pentameter
COUPLET
Two consecutive lines of poetry
that rhyme
FORESHADOWING
Lines that give hints or clues to
future events
VERBAL IRONY
A contrast between what is said
and what is meant
DRAMATIC IRONY
A contrast between what the
audience knows and what a
character does not know