Analytic terms

Question 1

Alliteration

Answer 1

repeating of the initial letter for aesthetic effect

Question 2

Assonance

Answer 2

repeating of vowel sounds for aesthetic affect

Question 3

Chorus

Answer 3

a few lines in songs that are repeated at the end of each stanza
Greek drama: a group of people on stage who act as a communal character and recite verses

Question 4

enjambment

Answer 4

the flowing on of a line of poetry so there is no pause at the end of the line

Question 5

refrain

Answer 5

repeating of a single line in a poem, often the last line of a stanza

Question 6

repetend

Answer 6

a recurring word of phrase, not necessarily as formally arranged as a refrain

Question 7

sibilance

Answer 7

the aesthetic use of the hissing ‘s’ sound

Question 8

stanza

Answer 8

divisions of a poem

Question 9

verse

Answer 9

sometimes used to refer to poetry in general as, but can be used to mean the same as stanza

Question 10

Catharsis

Answer 10

Classical scholars argue about the original meaning intended by the ancient Greeks, but has come to mean an emotional release engendered by an intense experience

Question 11

Dramatis personae

Answer 11

Latin term for the list of characters in a play

Question 12

Hamartia

Answer 12

Classical scholars argue about the shades of meaning the word has in the original Greek, but has come to mean a fatal moral flaw in a protagonist of a tragedy

Question 13

Hubris

Answer 13

Now usually used to designate overweening pride in a protagonist of a tragedy; some Classical scholars argue that the original word is more complex

Question 14

Alienation effect (verfreemdungseffekt)

Answer 14

The use of devices that disrupt the illusion of realistic theatre, such as the cast speaking or singing directly to the audience, or holding up signs or slogans

Question 15

Aside

Answer 15

A remark to the audience with other characters on stage do not hear. In effect a device used to make a character’s inner feelings evident

Question 16

Exeunt

Answer 16

Used to indicate several people leaving the stage

Question 17

Exit

Answer 17

Used to indicate one person leaving the stage

Question 18

Monologue

Answer 18

A play that consists of the speech of one character with no other cast. Alan Bennett has written many monologues interpreted by famous actors like “A Cream Cracker Under the Settee” (1988) for Thora Hird

Question 19

Soliloquy

Answer 19

A solo speech by a character, usually taking place when they are alone on stage. Like an aside, it is a way of allowing a character’s thoughts to be overheard

Question 20

Interleaving

Answer 20

The telling of several stories in one text; the stories are interwoven with each other