RomJul Flashcards
aside
lines that are spoken by a character directly to the audience
act
a division within a play, much like chapters of a novel
cast of characters
a list of characters presented before the action begins
chorus
a person or group of people who act as a narrator, commentator, or general audience to the action of the play
comedy
a humorous work of drama Ends happily, usually with a wedding or other celebration
dialogue
a conversation between two or more characters
drama
a work of literature designed to be performed in front of an audience
foil
a character who is nearly opposite of another character; the purpose of a foil (or character foil) is to reveal a stark contrast between the two characters, often the protagonist and antagonist Ex. Romeo/Friar Lawrence, Benvolio/Mercutio, Nurse/Juliet
monologue
a long speech spoken by a character to himself, another. Character, or to the audience
scene
a division of an act into smaller parts
soliloquy
thoughts spoken aloud by a character when he/she is alone, or thinks he/she is alone
stage directions
italicizes comments that identify parts of the setting or the use of props or costume, give further info about a character, or provide background info; in Shakespeare’s plays, stage directions can also appear in brackets, parenthesis, and/or half-brackets
tragedy
a serious work of drama in which the hero suffers catastrophe or serious misfortune, usually because of his own actions
tragic hero
a protagonist with a fatal flaw which eventually leads to his demise
alliteration
repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables
allusion
a literary reference to a well-known work of art, music, history, or literature
blank verse
non-rhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter. Most of Shakespeare’s plays are written in this form, which is very close to normal speech rhythms and patterns Often Shakespeare will deviate from this form in order to make a point about the characters state of mind or for other emphasis, like a change in the mood
comic relief
in a tragedy, a break in the seriousness for a moment of comedy of silliness
double entendre
a word or phrase with more than one meaning, usually when the second meaning is risqué
dramatic irony
when the audience or reader knows something that the characters in the story do not know
euphemism
a substitution of a more pleasant expression for one whose meaning may come across as rude or offensive
figurative language
writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally; often used to compare dissimilar objects; figurative language includes metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole
foreshadowing
hints of events to occur later in a story
iamb
a unit in poetry consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
iambic pentameter
a 10-syllable line divided into 5 iambic feet (one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable). This is the basic rhythm of Shakespeare’s verse
imagery
language which works to evoke images in your mind
irony
a contradiction between what is expected and what actually is - or appearance versus reality; includes verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is replaced by another, often indicating a likeness or similarity between them
oxymoron
when two opposite terms are used together
personification
attributing human characteristics to non-human objects
prose
normal speech rhythm; Shakespeare often wrote certain characters speaking either in all verse or all prose, indicating some personality trait of the he character. If get the character deviates from its normal form, be aware of a changing state of mind…often prose signals a character slipping into insanity
pun
a play on words, especially those that sound alike, but have different meanings
rhyming couplet
two rhyming lines at the end of a speech, signaling that a character is leaving the stage or that the scene is ending
simile
a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as
William Shakespeare
Father - John Shakespeare Mother - Mary Arden April 23, 1564 - April 23, 1616 Lord Chamberlain’s Men
theater
Drama supposed to be ephemeral, not static Globe
history
dramatizes a fictional historical event
romance
More serious form of comedy Strange, fantastic, or supernatural elements
courtly/poetic love
Falling in love = great emotional disturbances; bewildered, helpless, tortured by mental & physical pain Condition improves when accepted, and he’s inspired to great deeds When his happens, Shakespeare rhymes
Petrarchan conceit
used by Italian poet Petrarch in his sonnets Elaborate & exaggerated comparisons expressing in extravagant terms the beauty, cruelty, and charm of the beloved and the suffering, sorrow, and despair of the forlorn love Oxymorons common
plot structure
Act I - Exposition, Exciting Force, Rising Action Act II - Rising Action Act III - Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action Act IV - Falling Action Act V - Falling Action, Catastrophe
hyperbole
an exaggeration made for humor or emphasis
antecedent
(of a pronoun) the noun for which the pronoun stands
irony
an inconsistency between appearance and reality
verbal irony
A speaker or writer says one thing but actually means the opposite Scarcasm, overstatement (hyperbole), and understatement, are all types of verbal irony
situational irony
the outcome of a situation is inconsistent with what we expect would logically or normally occur
dramatic irony
the audience or the reader is aware of something that a character does not know
pun
a play on words, especially those that sound alike, but have different meanings
prediction
when authors foreshadow, we can make these educated guesses as to what will happen next
theme
the central idea or message in a work of literature
plot, characters, setting, mood, and even the title, are important in determing the message
universal theme
ideas to which ppl across time and cultures can relate
Shakespeare known for telling stories with these
noun of direct address
the name or descriptive term by which a person is addressed
Ex: Well, Juliet, I’ll be with thee tonight.
