ENGL215 Flashcards
Anaphora
Deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at
the beginning of each one of a sequence of sentences, etc
This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,
This earth of majesty…
Allusion
A passing reference to a historical person, place, or event, or to another literary work
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise…
Apostrophe
A direct and explicit address either to an absent person or to
an abstract or nonhuman entity who is not physically there.
To stand upon my kingdom once again. [He kneels.]
Dear earth, I do salute thee with my hand.
Foil
Serves as a contrast to the main character, or the protagonist.
Henry and Richard
Claudio and Benedick
Hero and Beatrice
Antimetabole
When sentence structure is mirrored and reversed to suggest something new.
I know what I like, and I like what I know
Anthimeria
Using a noun as a verb. Using a part of speech as another.
I’ll unhair thy head.
Divine right of kings
The absolute monarch is given their position from God. The King is a representative of God on earth.
De jure power - (legal, state-santcioned) Richard banishing Henry from England
De facto facto - (actual) Bolingbroke
Kings 2 Bodies
Idea that a ruler has two bodies: a natural body that lives and dies, and a symbolic body that endures and is assumed by the ruler’s successor. The things Richard does as King will effect his position as a regular person.
Goes from describing his crown as gold (Sun) to hollow; the image of his kingship is being deconstructed.
Psychomachia
Conflict within the soul between good and evil, virtue and vice.
A personified vice will pop up and tempt the everyman character into sin.
Virtue will then pop up and battle against the tempter.
Water imagery in COE
S. Antipholus seeks for his family as though he were a drop of water in the ocean.
Adriana says it would be as easy to separate her from her husband as to recapture a drop of water after you’ve placed it in the ocean.
Aristotle - The Classical Unities
Time, place, and action created a sort of purity to storytelling.
Time: a tragedy should take place during one day; this makes it more realistic.
Place: a tragedy should take place in a singular location; audience’s attention should be focused on one place.
Action: one main plot, one main action for the tragedy to focus on.
St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians
There are natural orders/structures in society; between Christ and the church, master and the slave, husband and wife. The church is female and is married to Christ. Christ died for the Church, so Saint Paul, in his letter, insinuates that those in higher social power are a bit subjected to their subordinates.
Prose vs verse
Prose: conversational way of speaking. Doesn’t have a set rhythm or structure. Logical thought.
Verse: set rhythm and structure. Emotion and self-reflection.
Richard II language
Written entirely in verse
Reflects Richard’s character as a man who likes to analyse situations rather than act upon them
Richard comparing himself to the Sun
Symbolism in Richard II
GARDEN: Queen thinks the fall of Richard will lead to the fall of England; fall of man to the fall of Garden of Eden and humanity.
Henry Bolingbroke refers to Bushy, Bagot, and Green as caterpillars of the commonwealth: Richard’s advisors are a bunch of parasites devouring or destroying England.
SUN: When King Richard rules England, he’s associated with the sun’s majesty and glory.
When he loses his power, King Henry is now as powerful as the sun, and Richard is going to “melt away” (cry and/or disappear and be forgotten) under the new “sun’s” rays.
MIRROR: After losing his power, Richard asks for a mirror to look at his appearance, expecting to have aged; he hasn’t. He accuses the glass of “flattering” him, or making him look better and healthier than he actually is. Richard shatters the mirror on the ground and thus relinquishes his past and present as king. Stripped of his former glory, Richard finally releases his body politic and retires to his body natural and his inner thoughts.
