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THE FIVE STRUCTURES

Plays

The following is an incomplete article. Until it is finished, I hope you find the raw definitions of the following terms useful.


Sophocles to Shakespeare: Classical drama

Tetralogy: three tragedies plus a comedy

Chorus: bystanders in a Greek play who narrate and reflect upon the plot action
​
Structure of Greek drama:
  • Invocation: before a Greek play, a prayer to one of the muses for inspiration
  • ​Epitasis: start of a play that develops character, plot, and theme; also called the protasis
  • Parabasis: a choral ode where the author expresses his opinion on what the characters should do
  • Anagorsis: the moment of epiphany for a character
  • Catastasis: the climax of Greek drama
  • Catastrophe: the resolution of a Greek drama
  • Exodos: the final scene in a Greek play

Unities: time, place, and action--according to Aristotle, each play has one

Hamartia: a protagonist's tragic flaw

​Peripeteia: sudden reversal from good fortune to bad

Stichomythia: alternating lines of quick-fire dialogue

Mocking the masters: Farce and Satire

Farce: comedy relying on exaggeration, horseplay, and unrealistic situations; also called low comedy

Commedia dell'arte: early Italian farce notable for establishing stock characters and plots

High Comedy: comedy relying on wit and subtle irony for humor

Comedy of Manners: comedy that ridicules the way of life and social customs of the upper society
​
​Soubrette: a maid or servant girl involved in an intrigue involving the main characters. She has good sense and a quick wit.

Not to be acted: Closet Drama

Closet drama: a play meant to be read rather than acted

Pantomime: use of body movements to express story--no speech whatsoever

Lyrics and libretto: Musical theatre

Opera: play set to all words where all words are sung

​Melodrama: a drama with lyrical songs that uses stereotypical characters and maudlin sentimentality

Out of left field: Theatre of the absurd

Absurdist drama: play depicting life as meaningless, senseless, and uncertain; the plot ends where it began with nothing being accomplished

Confronting the audience: Theatre of the oppressed

Theatre of the Oppressed: drama where the audience is part of the performance to get them to become agents of social change

Joker: the "facilitator" of a play who guides the audience in their role

Types of TO:
  • Image theatre: the joker, acting as a sculptor, molds actors as if they were statues, using only touch to direct the actor
  • Forum theatre: the audience comes on stage as 'spect-actors' to replace the protagonist and act through their conflict
  • Invisible theatre: a theatrical performance that is enacted in a place where people would not normally expect to see one, like in an alley or the center of a mall
  • Newspaper theatre: the incorporation of contemporary news articles into the performance
  • Rainbow of Desire: use of theatre as therapy for the audience
  • Legislative theatre: when a play about a legal issue is presented, then the audience has a discussion about what should be done about the actual laws
© COPYRIGHT BRANDON COON, 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Basics
    • 10 Rules
    • Setting
    • Genre
    • Structure >
      • Novel Forms
      • Poem Forms
      • Myth Forms
      • Play Forms
    • Style >
      • Analogy
      • Irony
      • Sonance
      • Parallelism
      • Solecism
    • Purpose
    • Glossary
    • Need a Word?
  • Story
    • Conflict
    • Character
    • Archetypes
    • Perspective
    • Starts & Ends
    • PULSE
    • Dialogue
  • Analysis
    • Theme+
    • How to read a... >
      • Poem
      • Play
      • Film
      • Image
      • Comic
    • Intertextuality
    • Lit Movements
    • Critical Lenses >
      • Marxism
      • Postcolonialism
      • Feminism
      • Queer
      • Ecocritical
      • Affliction
      • Psychoanalysis
      • Reader Response
  • Edifiers
    • Essays >
      • Precis
      • College Essay
    • Rhetoric >
      • Thesis
      • Appeals
      • Fallacies
    • Journalism >
      • Ethics
      • AP Style
      • Interviewing
      • Articles >
        • Headlines
        • News
        • Reviews
        • Opinions
    • Metiers >
      • Resume+
      • Speeches
  • Research
    • Source Citation >
      • MLA Citation
      • APA Citation
      • In-Text
    • Copyright
    • How to quote
    • How to Make a... >
      • Bibliograpy
      • Annotated Bib.
      • Abstract
      • Ignite
  • Grammar
    • Parts of Speech >
      • Nouns
      • Main Verbs
      • Helping Verbs
      • Verbals
      • Modifiers
      • Pronouns
      • Conjunctions
    • Mechanics >
      • Punctuation
      • Commas
      • Parentheticals
    • Usage >
      • Titles
      • Numbers
      • Decency
      • Respect
      • Yellow Words
    • Print Format