Character who is the chief opponent of the main character (the protagonist) in a drama. In some cases there may be several antagonists.
Chorus
(1) In ancient Greek drama, a group of performers who sang and danced, sometimes participating in the action but usually simply commenting on it. (2) Performers in a musical play who sing and dance as a group rather than individually.
Commedia dell'arte
Form of comic theater, originating in Italy in the sixteenth century, in which dialogue was improvised around a loose scenario involving a set of stock characters, each with a distinctive costume and a traditional name.
Protagonist
Principal character in a play; the one whom the drama is chiefly about.
Stock characters
Stereotypical characters, usually not fully developed as unique individuals. In the Italian Renaissance, commedia dell'arte had many popular stock characters, including servants, masters, and young lovers. Modern melodrama has stock characters such as heroes and villains.
