The plot (Gk. μυθος, muthos, “speech, narrative, fiction”) is the arrangement of the play’s episodes, not to be confused with the course of the play’s action.

The action (Gk. praxiz, praxis, “action”) is the event or events that are represented.

Any given moment in the action can be described as either a time of relative prosperity, or good fortune (Gk. ευτυχια, eutychia, “good luck”), or a time of relative adversity, or misfortune (Gk. δυστυχια, dustuchia, “bad luck”).

An error (Gk. αμαρτια, hamartia, “error”) is a mistake due to either intellectual ignorance or ethical wickedness.

A reversal (Gk. περιπετεια, peripeteia, “reversal”) is a shift in the action from good fortune to misfortune, or vice versa.

A recognition (Gk. αναγνωρισις, anagnorisis) is a moment in which a character understands his or her place in the world, including any past wrong-doing.

Character (Gk. εθος, ethos) is the sort of person someone is; that is, one’s nature or disposition.

A character can be vicious (Gk. κακια, kakia), or worse than humans are; or a character can be virtuous (Gk. αρετη, arete), or better than humans are.

A genre (Gk. γενος, genos, “to produce”) is a particular pattern produced by a distinct class of dramatic works that describes the relationship between the morals of the play’s characters and the course of the play’s action.

Broadly speaking, the genre of a play is either comedy (Gk. κωμωδια, comodia, “song for the revel” or “song for the village”) or tragedy (Gk. τραγωδια, tragodia, “song for the goat”).

In the classical theatre, comedy represents the vicious but harmless characters that are worse than actual humans, revealing the humor of ugliness and the errors of the ignorant. This plot is also called satire.

In the classical theatre, tragedy represents the virtuous but flawed characters that are better than actual humans, depicting a reversal from good fortune to misfortune on account of a fatal error.

In the medieval theatre, comedy represents an action that begins in adversity but ends in prosperity on account of the hero’s virtue. This plot is also called romance.

In the medieval theatre, tragedy represents an action that begins in prosperity and ends in adversity on account of fortune’s wheel. This plot is also called de casibus.

If you establish the dramatic genre as tragic, look into the species of tragedy by asking whether the sorrowful conclusion happens on account of or in spite of the characters’ actions. Classical tragedy is the tragedy of mistake, resulting in a sorrowful outcome on account of a character’s error. Medieval tragedy is the tragedy of misfortune, resulting in a sorrowful outcome in spite of the characters’ virtue.

If you establish the dramatic genre as comic, look into the species of comedy by asking whether the play is joyous on account of or in spite of its ending. Classical comedy is the comedy of character, resulting in a joyous outcome in spite of the characters’ vice. Medieval comedy is the comedy of plot, resulting in a joyous outcome on account of the characters’ virtue.