Character – the individuals who take part in the action of a story

Main Character (protagonist) – the events of the story center on the main character, which is the most important character

Minor Character – less prominent character

Dynamic Character – main characters that undergo change as the plot unfolds

Static Character – characters who remain the same

Setting – the particular time and place where the events of a story occur

Plot – the chain of related events that take place in a story

Exposition – lays the groundwork for the plot and provides the reader with essential 

Inciting Incident – introduces the major conflict in the play
Rising Action – complications start to arise, causing difficulties for the main characters and making the conflict more difficult to resolve

Climax – the turning point of the action, the moment when interest and intensity reach their peak

Falling Action – the events that occur after the climax

Denouement (Resolution) - the tangles of the plot are untied and mysteries are solved

Theme – an important idea or message conveyed by a work of fiction

Symbolism – using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning

Allusion – a reference to a historical or literary person, place, thing or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar

Characterization –  refers to the techniques employed by writers to develop characters.  There are four basic methods:

Physical Description

Charecters speech, thoughts, feelings, or actions

Another character speaks, thinks, feels, or acts to provide means of the developing character 

Irony –  Irony is a contrast between what is expected and what actually exists or happens.  There are three basic types of irony.