Macbeth terminology Flashcards
Soliloquy
characters speaking only their thoughts aloud where no other characters can hear them (some sort of internal struggle, deepest thoughts and emotions)
how to spot verse
when is looks like a poem
how to spot prose
where it looks like writing in a book and the lines go all the way to the end
who normally speaks in verse in shakespeare
high status characters
who normally speaks in prose in shakespeare
lower status ones
who was normally addressed as ‘you’
formality, respect and detachment
who was normally addressed as ‘thou’
informal and intimate
monologue
long speeches given to another character
aside
shorter comments to audience
dramatic irony
irony understood by the audience but not the characters of the play
archetype
a very typical example
dichotomy
a division or contrast between two things
epizeuxis
repetition of words in succession within a sentence
euphamism
substitution of a harmless term for an explicit one
motif
an element that reoccurs throughout the play
epistrophe
same word employed at the end of successive sentences
exposition
information provided through stage directions
paradox
a statement that seems to contradict itself but is still true
refrain
a word, phrase or sentence that is repeated throughout the text
stichomythia
a dialogue between two characters, speaking one after the other
anagnorisis
a moment in the play where character makes a critical discovery (sudden awareness of downfall)
hamartia
a character’s fatal flaw
foil
characters with contrasting qualities
hubris
exaggerated self-pride/confidence
peripeteia
sudden turn of events, unexpected reversal
autonomy
the ability to be able to govern yourself
infallible
never failing, incapable of making mistakes
nihilism
believing life is pointless and meaningless
