Literary Terms Flashcards
comic relief
a humorous character, scene, or dialogue included in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension
anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, sentences, or verses–especially to create rhythm and emphasis
quatrain
a poetic unit of four lines (either a stanza or an entire poem)
prose
the ordinary form of written language using sentences and paragraphs, lacking metrical structure, that is distinguished from poetry or verse
paradox
a statement that seems to contradict itself but that, on closer inspection, actually makes sense
oxymoron
a condensed paradox that joins two polar opposites (like 2 words) in one expression
Verse
poetry; writing arranged in lines, rather than in ordinary sentences and paragraphs
soliloquy
a speech given by a character alone on stage that lets the audience know what the character is thinking and feeling
metaphor
a comparison that states (or implies) that one thing is a completely different thing
foil
a character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another character and, therefore, highlight both characters’ important traits
antithesis
words, phrases, clauses, or sentences set up in deliberate contrast to one another
aside
a character’s brief remark, either to the audience or to another character, that other characters on stage do not hear
allusion
a reference to something the audience is expected to know, such as another story, a myth, character, etc.
tragedy
a serious story that chronicles the downfall of a morally good but imperfect protagonist
simile
a comparison using “like” or “as”
personification
giving human traits to something not human
couplet - a pair of consecutive lines of poetry that express a complete thought, usually follow a similar meter, and often rhyme
pun
wordplay that results either from (a) one word with multiple meanings or (b) multiple words that sound identical
alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds, generally initial consonant sounds (i.e., at the beginning of words)
dramatic irony
a situation when the audience knows more than the characters know
foreshadowing
providing a hint of what is ROMEO: …for my mind misgives to come later in the story
