Grade 9 key words Flashcards
Allegory
When the characters and/or the plot represent ideas that relate to morality, politics or religion
Allusion
A way of making reference to something else without explicitly stating what it is you’re referring to
Anagnorisis
The point in a text when a key character realises another character’s true identity, or they come to understand the true nature of their circumstances (E.g LM’s comes when she realises Macbeth has killed Lady Macduff and her child)
Antagonist
A character who opposes someone or something, often the protagonist. Generally considered the ‘bad guys’. (E.g Macduff although he isn’t bad)
Archetype
Effectively a stereotype of a character or thing. It is a model around which certain character types are built (E.g a tragic hero)
Biblical
Relating to the Bible
Blank verse
Unrhymed metered lines primarily written using iambic pentameter (emphasises a character’s high social status)
Caricature
A depiction of a person in which key characteristics are exaggerated for comic effect or to imply a grotesque quality (E.g witches)
Catharsis
Releasing strong or repressed emotions (Macbeth’s death is cathartic to the audience)
Connotation
When a word, phrase or other component of a text is intended to carry a certain meaning
Conscience
A moral sense of right and wrong
Dichotomy
A division into two opposite groups (Macbeth and Macduff’s attitude to loyalty represents a dichotomy of morals)
Divine Right of Kings
A belief that a monarch derived their authority from God and thus any attempt to depose or murder the king is an attempt on God himself (Macbeth’s ambition disrupts this)
Dramatic monologue
A section of text in which the speaker addresses the audience directly
Emasculation
Making a man feel less masculine by taking away his power (LM does this to Macbeth)
Epitome
A person or item which is a perfect representation of something else, particularly a quality or concept
Euphemism
Language used to imply something unpleasant or impolite
Facade
A deceptive outward appearance used to conceal a person’s true personality or feelings
Femme fatale
A woman who tries to achieve her hidden purpose by employing her femininity and skills of charm and seduction (LM fits the archetype of a femme fatale by using her emotional intelligence to manipulate Macbeth)
Foil
A character with qualities that contrast another (Banquo’s noble nature makes him a foil to Macbeth)
Foreshadowing
A warning of events to come in a text
Great Chain of Being
The belief that God created the world with a clear hierarchical structure encompassing all matter and life
Hamartia
A character’s fatal flaw that will lead to their downfall
Heathen
Someone who doesn’t participate in a well known religion (Macbeth’s actions of regicide break the Divine right of kings so the audience may consider him a heathen)
Hubris
Exaggerated self confidence/pride which often lead to a character’s downfall (Macbeth is the embodiment of hubris)
Hyperbole
Figurative speech used for exaggeration (like when Macbeth says all the water cannot wash the blood of his hands)
Iambic pentameter
A rhythmic pattern consisting of 10 syllables per line, with alternating stressed and unstressed syllables
Ideology
A body of beliefs and ideals that dictates how a person thinks and acts and can be used in relation to political or religious beliefs
Irony
Expression of an emotion or thought by using language which typically means the opposite. It is often amusing, injecting a degree of comedy into a text
Juxtaposition
Two opposing things placed next to each other for contrast
Microcosm
A community or situation intended to represent the characteristics of something much larger
Morality
Principles regarding the differentiation between right and wrong
Motif
A repeating idea used to dictate tone and emphasise themes (hallucinations are a key motif)
Nihilism
Rejection of religion and the belief that life is meaningless (E.g Macbeth’s soliloquy 5.5 when he hears about LM’s death)
Oxymoron
A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms are used consecutively (‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’
Pathetic fallacy
Giving emotions to non-human things (evident in the atmosphere of the night of Duncan’s death)
Peripeteia
An unexpected change in circumstances or reversal of fortune (Fleance’s escape)
Personification
Giving human characteristics to non-human or inanimate objects
Prose
A passage of text written without any metrical structure (LM after reading Macbeth’s letter 1.5 showing her mental disorientation)
Protagonist
The leading character in a text
Redemption
Being saved from sin or error
Repent
To express remorse about wrongdoings, particularly in a religious context
Rhymic couplets
Two consecutive rhyming lines (spoken by the witches to emphasise their artificial intentions)
Semantic field
A set of related words used in close proximity related to a specific subject
Sibilance
A passage of text written without any metrical structure
Soliloquy
A monologue intended to only be heard by the audience and the character speaking. They are often used to explain the inner thoughts of a character
Symbolism
Use of symbols to represent an idea or concept (E.g blood)
Tragic hero
A character who has virtuous traits but ultimately dies or is defeated as a result of a fatal flaw
