Dramatic Purposes/Literary Devices Flashcards

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1
Q

Comic relief example

A

Act 2, Scene 4, when mercutio, benvolio and romeo spend the whole scene joking and punning to provide comic relief between two serious and dramatic scenes

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2
Q

Foil

A

A character in a work of literature whose physical or psychological qualities contrast strongly with, and therefore highlight the corresponding qualities of another character

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3
Q

Foil example

A

Romeo and tybalt because romeo is sensitive and caring, tybalt is more hostile and is always looking to cause conflict

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4
Q

Tragic hero

A

A privileged, exalted character of high repute, who, by virtue of a tragic flaw and fate, suffers a fall from glory into suffering.

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5
Q

Tragic hero example

A

Romeo because he has a respectable reputation throughout Verona, but his impulsive nature leads him to kill tybalt and become infatuated with Juliet. These events cause him to be exiled, and he endures great emotional suffering and eventually dies, signaling his downfall

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6
Q

Tragic/fatal flaw

A

A flaw or defect in a tragedy’s hero that eventually leads to his or her downfall

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7
Q

Tragic/fatal flaw example

A

Romeo’s rash and impulsive nature because he falls in love with Juliet too quickly and makes a very sudden decision to kill tybalt, which leads to his banishment, and eventually his suicide

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8
Q

Pathos

A

A deep feeling attributed to a scene or passage specifically designed to evoke the emotions of tenderness, pity, or sympathetic sorrow from the reader

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9
Q

Pathos example

A

At the end of Act 3 when lord capulet is telling at Juliet for not wanting to marry Paris, the reader feels sorry for Juliet because her father is being unfair

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10
Q

Symbol

A

An object which is used to represent a greater meaning.

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11
Q

Symbol example

A

The conch shell in LOTF that piggy finds on the island. Ralph uses the conch to call meetings, and so it becomes a symbol of order and civilization. When it is broken, near the end of the novel, it is symbolic of how they are no longer civilized

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12
Q

Irony

A

When a situation ends up differently than what is generally anticipated

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13
Q

Irony example

A

In LOTF Ralph spends the majority of the novel trying to maintain a fire, and it is a fire which the other boys try to kill him with later on. The fire that was set to harm Ralph ended up being what saved the boys, as it caught the attention of their rescuers, demonstrating further irony.

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14
Q

Dramatic irony

A

The situation where the audience knows something that the characters do not

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15
Q

Dramatic irony example

A

When Juliet explains her grief to her mother by saying she is upset about tybalt a death, but the reader knows that she is really upset about Romeos banishment

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16
Q

Foreshadowing

A

A subtle way of preparing readers for important future events by mentioning a character, event, or object earlier in the narrative.

17
Q

Foreshadowing example

A

Juliet says that romeo looks pale and deathly as he is leaving her chamber, foreshadows Romeos actual death later on in the play

18
Q

Soliloquy

A

When a character is alone on stage, and is speaking his or her thoughts aloud

19
Q

Soliloquy example

A

When Juliet is about to take the sleeping potion, and is talking to herself in her room

20
Q

Comic relief

A

The use of humor to lighten the mood of a serious or tragic story

21
Q

Nemesis

A

A villain who has a particular interest in defeating a hero or group of heroes, and who is often of particular interest to the hero(es) in return.

22
Q

Nemesis example

A

Tybalt because he wants to fight with romeo and maintain the feud with the montagues