Shakespeare Literary Terms

Terms in this set (23)

Monologue
A long speech by a single character, uninterrupted by others, speaking to others on stage
Soliloquy
A long speech by a single character, but speaking their thoughts out loud to themselves
Aside
When a character addresses the audience, usually marked in stage directions
Meter
A regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables
Foot
The basic pattern in the meter
Iamb
A foot of meter in which an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
Iambic Pentameter
A line of poetry which contains a set of five iambs (10 syllables total)
Blank Verse
Multiple lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter
Sonnet
14 lines of iambic pentameter that function as a set and follow a specific rhyme scheme
Couplet
Two lines of rhyming poetry--they always appear at the end of sonnets, but can appear on their own as well
Imagery
A way of describing something using sensory words
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for dramatic effect
Paradox
A statement that's illogical or contradictory at face value but contains a hidden truth
Oxymoron
A compound word phrase consisting of two words with contrasting meanings
Foil
Two characters with contrasting personalities
Pun
A joke using a play on words
Dramatic irony
when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues in a story at what is to come later
Theme
an abstract or universal statement about life that the author implies through the text
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things usually using "like" or "as"
Metaphor
A direct comparison between two unlike things, saying one thing IS another, not "like" or "as."
Allusion
A reference to another work of literature, myth, historical event, or person outside of the text
Personification
A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...