Journey Epic & Tragic Form Terms Flashcards
Archetype
An original or perfect model of a type after which subsequent examples are based.
Epic
A long narrative poem about the adventures of a hero who embodies the values of the culture and must overcome obstacles to reach their destination.
Hero
An expression of our personal and collective unconscious, a hero is someone who must go on a quest or adventure and overcome many obstacles to reach their destination, but gains wisdom and/or atonement as a result of the experience.
Temptress
An archetypal character usually a beautiful woman whose intentions are not evil but who nonetheless brings about destruction or the downfall of a man/man because of her beauty with sexual allure (Helen).
Destroyer
An archetypal character who is seen as evil and who brings about destruction for destructions sake (Poseidon, Cyclops).
Transgressor
An archetypal character who attempts something that has never been done and pushes the limits of human knowledge often oceangoing realm of the gods which usually results in his/her downfall and great destruction. (Dr. Frankenstein).
Trickster
An archetypal character who breaks or bend the rules of the gods relying on cunning rather than strength sometimes intentions are malicious but usually is unintentional and the results are positive (Hermes, briar rabbit).
Invocation
A prayer to the gods or God asking for guidance or inspiration at the beginning of the Odyssey Homer has an invocation asking the muses for the inspiration to tell his tale well.
Homeric Simile
An extended metaphor usually several lines long that compares two things and explains all the areas of similarity Homer is famous for his similes/metaphors.
Rhapsode
A teller of tales, a menstrual or bard who sites oral histories or epic tales.
Myth
A traditional or legendary story that uses fantasy or metaphors to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed easily in realistic terms because they concern the relationship between human beings the unknown or the spiritual realm.
Tragedy
A play about a tragic hero of royal birth in an enviable position who is basically noble but possesses a tragic flaw the brings about his/her downfall and great destruction. The tragic hero experiences an epiphany before dying.
Dramatic Irony
When the audience or reader possesses knowledge that the characters don’t, which serves to heighten tension. (Ex: In Romeo and Juliet, he always knows that Juliet has taking a sleeping position, Romeo think she is dead).
Blank Verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Closed Couplet
A two line stanza in which the two lines in equal length rhyme and express a complete stop. The first-line usually has a pause by a comma or semi colon and the second line has an end-stop.
Protagonist
The main character of illiterate work around whom the events revolve and for whom the audience is most likely to feel empathy.
Antagonist
The character or force with whom the protagonist is in conflict.
Exposition
The beginning of a play in which the audience is introduced to the setting, the main characters, and the primary conflict (Act 1).
Rising Action
After the introduction of the conflict or exciting force, the mounting tension that results from the conflict (Act 2).
Climax
The point of greatest tension in the literary work when things go from good to buy bad or bad to worse in a tragedy from bad to good in a comedy (Act 3).
Denouement
The resolution, catastrophe or conclusion which the loose ends are wrapped up (Act 5).
Soliloquy
An extended speech by a character spoken to other characters alone on stage.an understood to be his/her inner thoughts.
Monologue
An extended speech by a character spoken to other characters on stage.
Aside
Words spoken on stage in front of other characters, understood to be the characters thoughts and not heard by the other characters. It is a way to communicate to the audience what the characters are thinking.
