Shakespeare Flashcards
‘a
he
a’
on
an’ or and
if
Anon!
Soon! Right away! Coming!
but
if, or only
Good-den or go-den
Good evening
hap or happy
luck or lucky
humor
mood, or moisture
Jack
common fellow, ordinary guy
maid
unmarried girl, or virgin
mark/hark
listen to
nice
trivial, foolish
shrift
confession or forgiveness
owes
owns
Soft!
Quiet! Hush!
Stay!
Wait!
Withal
with that, with
wot
know
Wherefore
why
Ere
before
Dost/doth
do/does
Thou/thee
you
Whither
to where
Hast
have
iambic pentameter
each unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable (think of the word prefer), for a total of 5 (5 = pent) units (iambs) in each line.
a. Each unit (1 unstressed and 1 stressed) is considered 1 iamb (hence the name, iambic pentameter).
b. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Blank verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Couplets
Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme (think, a couple is two people, so a couplet is two lines).
End-stopped line
Has punctuation at its end
Run-on line
No punctuation at the end of the line, meaning it is to be read continuously with the following lines (you do not pause at the end of a line unless there is punctuation).
Shakespearean Sonnet
14 lines written in iambic pentameter, with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg (the prologue is a sonnet).
aught
anything
coz
short for cousin; used to refer to relatives or close friends
e’er
ever
God gi’ go-den
God give you a good evening
hence
from here
hie
hurry
hither
here
marry
a short form of “by the Virgin Mary” and so a mild exclamation
morrow
morning
naught
nothing
o’er
over
prithee
pray thee, or please
sirrah
a term used to address a servant
thither
where
yond, yonder
over there
Tragic Hero
-The protagonist, or central character
-usually fails or dies because of a character flaw or a cruel twist of fate
Antagonist
-the adversary or hostile force opposing the protagonist
-can be a character, a group of characters, or a nonhuman entity
Foil
-s character whose personality and attitude contrast sharply of those with another character
Soliloquy
-a speech given by a character alone
-exposes a character’s thoughts and feelings to the audience
Aside
- a character’s remark that others on stage cannot hear
-reveals the character’s private thoughts
Dramatic Irony
-when the audience knows more than the characters
-helps build suspense
Comic Relief
- a humorous scene or speech intended to relieve tension
-heightens the seriousness of the main action by contrast
whence
from where
tither
there
