Literary terms

Blank verse: unrhymed iambic pentameter Example: Most of Romeo and Juliet Iambic Meter—Unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable Example: But soft Iambic Pentameter—Five iambic units in each line…a pattern of stressed/unstressed syllables used in poetry Example: But soft/ What light/ through yon/der win/dow breaks

Dramatic Irony: a device whereby a character’s words or actions have one meaning for the characters and quite a different meaning for the audience or reader. It involves us emotionally in the action, for we know something that the character doesn’t. Example: We know Juliet not really dead and is about to wake up, but Romeo does not; he kills himself. Tragedy: a drama in which the central character meets with disaster and great misfortune. Example: Romeo and Juliet

Simile: The comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.” Metaphor: The comparison of two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” Example: Juliet is the sun. Simile: The comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.” Example: She hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel. Aside: a brief remark, unheard by others on stage, from a character to the audience revealing the thoughts of the character speaking.

Monologue: A long, virtually uninterrupted speech by one person with others on stage Example: Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech Soliloquy: A long speech in which a character, alone on stage, expresses his/her thoughts or feelings to the audience Example: Juliet’s speech on balcony

Couplets: a pair of successive lines of verse, esp Couplets: a pair of successive lines of verse, esp. a pair that rhyme and are of the same length…Shakespeare uses couplets to exit his characters from the stage Example: The stockings were hung by the chimney with care In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. End-stop line: feature in poetry in which the phrase, clause, or sentence corresponds in length to the line. It has some form of punctuation at its end Example: Deny thy father and refuse they name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

Run-on line: Lines in which the thought continues into the next line, as opposed to end-stopped. It has no punctuation at its end. Example: Your lady’s love against some other maid That I will show you shining at the feast, And she shall scant show well that now seems best. Foil: a person that contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of the main character's personality Example: Mercutio and Romeo

Antagonist—The main character in opposition to the protagonist Example Gaston in Beauty and the Beast Dialogue—A conversation between two or more characters in a play Oxymoron—A figure of speech where opposite concepts are combined for dramatic effect Example Jumbo shrimp, brawling love Protagonist—The main character in a drama Example Beast in Beauty and the Beast

Tragic Hero—The protagonist of a drama that comes to a tragic end Example: Romeo Tragic flaw: A flaw in the character of the protagonist of a tragedy that brings the protagonist to ruin or sorrow. Example: too romantic, too rash in decision making