Elements of Drama:
Diagram of stage:
Stage Directions: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Dialogue: __________________________________________________________________________________________
Function of Dialogue: ________________________________________________________________________________
Monologue: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Soliloquy: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Function of Soliloquies: ______________________________________________________________________________
Aside: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Function of an Aside: ________________________________________________________________________________
AMSD Characters:
Theseus: __________________________________________________________________________________________
Hippolyta: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Hermia: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Egeus: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Lysander: __________________________________________________________________________________________
Demetrius: _________________________________________________________________________________________
Helena: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Nick Bottom: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Titania: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Oberon: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Puck (Robin Goodfellow): _____________________________________________________________________________
Theme: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Plots: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Allusions and terminology to know
1. Athens: a city of southeastern Greece. In this play, Athens is in ancient Greece, a place from which come large
contributions to the arts and sciences.
2. Aurora: Roman goddess of the dawn
3. Carthage: in ancient times, Carthage was a great city on the northern coast of Africa
4. Cupid (Eros): in Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love. In Greek myths he is Eros,
the god of love. Cupid and Eros were said to wound individuals with their arrows, causing mortals to fall in love.
5. Daphne: a nymph who was transformed into a tree so that she might be saved from Apollo, the Greek god of the
sun, who had fallen in love with her.
6. Diana: Roman Goddess of the moon, hunt, and chastity
7. Hippolyta: an Amazonian queen; married Theseus
8. May-day: a holiday celebrated on May 1st; a celebration of the coming spring
9. Muse: in Greek mythology, one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory; Muses
inspired and presided over the creative arts.
10. Ninus: legendary founder of Nineveh, a city in ancient Mesopotamia
11. Oberon: legendary king of the elves and fairies
12. Phoebe: also called Artemis; twin sister of Apollo (Pheobus); traditionally associated with the moon
13. Puck (Robin Goodfellow): a mischievous spirit of nature; a creature of British folklore
14. Theseus: a legendary king of Athens, involved in many mythological battles; eventually conquered and wed the
Amazon queen, Hippolyta
15. Titania: a name given to the daughters of Titans
16. Trojan: someone from the ancient city of Troy, a famous city of Greek legend
17. Venus: the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility
Act I Vocab:
1. abjure: to deny oneself something; to formally renounce or give up; reject; avoid
2. dowager: a woman who inherited a title or property from her deceased husband; a widow
3. estate (unto): bestow upon; give to; will to
4. extempore: with little or no preparation; without rehearsal
5. extenuate: to diminish the seriousness of; make a joke out of; make light of
6. lodestars: guiding stars; models or principles that guide behavior
7. nuptial: relating to marriage or weddings
8. properties: stage props; items used in the course of a performance
9. revenue: personal income; wealth
10: transpose: to change places; reverse usual order
Act II Vocab:
1. brakes: ferns with compound leaves resembling feathers
2. changeling: in folklore, a child who is secretly substituted for another one by fairies
3. dulcet: pleasant to hear; especially soft or soothing; sweet
4. haunts: bothers; annoys
5. hind: a female red deer
6. impeach: to charge with something, usually a crime; accuse
7. knavish: dishonest; deceitful; crafty
8. languish: to undergo hardship as a result of being deprived of something, typically attention, independence, or
freedom; become weak or feeble as a result of deprivation
9. leviathan: a large sea animal; something formidable or threatening
10. pensioners: people who receive money from the government; those who work for a pension; royal bodyguards
11. promontory: a point of land that juts out into the sea
12. roundel: a slow medieval dance performed by a group who forms a circle
13. surfeit: overindulgence in something, especially food or drink; excessive
14. waxen: of or like wax; lacking the rosy glow of life or health; pale
Act III Vocab:
1. auditor: a hearer or listener, e.g. a member of an audience
2. chronicled: wrote down an event or series of events
3. confounding: causing confusion; bewildering
4. derision: contempt and mockery
5. disparage: to refer disapprovingly or contemptuously to someone or something; to criticize
6. enamored: charmed, fascinated, or captivated by somebody or something
7. jangling: a disagreement; quarrel
8. loam: a mixture of moist clay and sand used for making bricks and plaster
9. officious: eager to give unwanted help or advice; meddlesome
10. proverb: a short saying that offers advice or teachers a principle
11. recreant: one who is disloyal to a cause or duty; coward
12. welkin: the sky, heaven or air
13. wend: to proceed along a course or route; travel
14. wonted: usual; typical
Act IV Vocab:
1. amiable: friendly and pleasant
2. compass (encompass): to encircle; surround
3. coy (used as a verb-rare): make blush; to embarrass with teasing or provocation
4. dote (on): to be fond of; admire
5. enmity: extreme ill-will or hatred
6. loath: unwilling; reluctant
7. paragon: somebody or something that is the very best example of something
8. peradventure: possibly; perhaps
9. upbraid: to scold somebody in a harsh manner; criticize
10. vexation: a state of annoyance or anxiety; irritation
11. visage: the face; facial expression
Act V Vocab:
1. audacious: without fear; bold; daring
2. beguile: to pass time in a pleasant way
3. discretion: the good judgment and sensitivity needed to avoid embarrassing or upsetting others
4. eloquence: the ability to speak forcefully, expressively, and persuasively
5. masque: dramatic entertainment similar to opera, in which masked performers represent mythological or allegorical
characters
6. partition: a structure that divides a space, e.g. a wall built to make two rooms out of one
7. satire: the use of wit, especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to criticize faults
8. seething: 1) full of anger; 2) moving in all directions, busily or frantically
9. tedious: boring, monotonous, or repetitive
10. throttle: to prevent something from continuing or developing; stop
11. valor: courage shown in war or battle
Scene Guide:
Characters involved/introduced
Setting (Where does the scene take place?)
Action (What happened?)
What do you think will happen next?