| Term | Definition |
|---|
| catharsis | The relief we feel when watching a tragic play as it purges us of our anxieties. |
| tragedy | A dramatic genre that presents the heroic or moral struggle of an individual, ending in his or her defeat. |
| soliloquy | An extended speech of one character represented as thinking aloud. Usually, there are no other characters on stage. |
| pathos | According to Aristotle, it appeals to the audience's emotions. It often is a quality that arouses pity. |
| reversal | The part of the play where the action of the plot turns in an unexpected direction for the protagonist. |
| dialogue | Conversation between characters. |
| Themes | important ideas that are repeated in the text |
| Metaphor | : comparison between two things in a figurative (not literal). |
| Simile | Similar to metaphor, but uses 'like' or 'as'. |
| Imagery | The mental images that the words convey. This includes both metaphors and similes. Usually discussed in a general way. |
| Personification | Representing objects or ideas with human qualities. |
| Tone | the atmosphere that is created by the words. Example: The night imagery creates a dark __________. |
| Allusion | : a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature. ____________ are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events. |
| Dramatic irony | is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves. |
| Contrast | the process of pointing out differences between things. |
| pathetic fallacy | is giving a natural object human emotions |
| Motifs | recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes. |
| Symbols | objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. |
| dramatis personae | list of characters found at the beginning of the text |
| conflict | struggle or tension in a literary work that exists between a character and nature society, fate, other people, or himself |
| recognition | The point, often in tragedy where a character shows an awareness of his tragic flaw - too late to change things. |
| foreshadowing | hints of what is to come in the action of a play or a story. |
| tragic flaw | the tragic hero's character flaw that leads to his downfall |
| aside | words spoken by an actor directly to the audience often while there are other characters present who cannot hear the speaker. |
Combine with other sets
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