literary devices Flashcards
setting
time of day, place, weather (concept of nature as a portent)
plot
each part of plot usually matches up to 5 acts of the play; one per act
- exposition
- rising action
- climax
- falling action
- resolution
catastrophe
a great, often sudden calamity
dramatic irony
audience knows something that characters do not
foil - characterization
a character with traits contrasting to those of another character, often, but not always that protagonist
round character - characterization
a character who is multi-dimensional/possesses different aspects to his or her character
flat character - characterization
a character who does not change over the course of a work; lacks depth or detail; often represents a single quality
conflict
struggle between opposing forces (ideas, actions, desires) that drive the plot forward; may be internal and/or external; may be multiple conflicts, but usually one conflict emerges as the main one
theme
that main point the work is making/examining about life, society, human nature
metaphor
a comparison of two unlike things ( does not use ‘like’ or ‘as’)
simile
a comparison of two unlike things in a phrase introduced by ‘like’ or ‘as’
personification
a figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics
allusion
reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature
pun
two words that sound the same but mean something different
double entendre
a word or expression that be understood in two ways (often sexual)
oxymoron
a figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined
blank verse
unrhymed lines of ten syllables, each with the even-numbered syllables bearing accents; often called the most ‘natural’ verse form since its close to natural rhythms of English speech
iamb
a unit or ‘foot’ of poetry that is made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
iambic pentameter
a line of poetry composed of five iambs
soliloquy
a speech said alone on stage, meant for the audience to know a character’s thought, **look for stage directions and dialogue indicating that a character has been left alone on stage
comic relief
humorous interlude in serious literary work, intended to relive the dramatic tension or heighten the emotional impact by means of contrast
aside
words spoken by an actor in such a way that they are heard by the audience but supposedly not by the other actors; often pointed out in stage directions
foreshadowing
the process in a drama or narrative of giving the audience or reader a hint about a coming event
sonnet
a poem consisting of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, and with a certain rhythm scheme; usually expresses a single idea with a reversal or twist in that concluding lines; even though part of a play, a Shakespearean sonnet can sometimes stand alone
Shakespearean sonnet
- english sonnet
three quatrains (quatrain = 4 lines) and a final couplet; written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Petrarchan sonnet
- Italian sonnet
eight line stanza (octave) followed by a six line stanza (sestet); rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA CDECDE (or CDCDCD)
tragic hero
the protagonist of the play (has a weakness that causes their downfall)
reversal
a change from one state of affairs within a play to its opposite
catharsis
the cleansing of the audience’s pent up emotions (tragedies help the audience to feel and release emotions)
