Shakespeare / Macbeth Study Guide Flashcards
A fourteen-line poem in
iambic pentameter with a
carefully and rigidly
patterned rhyme scheme
Sonnet
The pattern of end rhyme
Rhyme Scheme
10 syllables per line, 5
stressed
Iambic pentameter
Turning point in sonnets
Volta
Historical texts Shakespeare used these to draw on accounts of British Monarchs and
historical events for plot lines and characters
Holinshed’s Chronicles
The flaw that leads the character to make a fatal mistake
Tragic flaw
A character whose downfall is caused by their own flawed behavior
Tragic hero
A long speech expressing private thoughts, delivered by a character who is alone onstage
Soliloquy
A private remark to one character or to the audience. It is understood not to be heard by other characters onstage.
Aside
A long speech delivered by one character to another or to a group of characters
Monologue
The audience knows more about something than another character who is involved in the play.
Dramatic irony
A statement, pair of statements, or even the exploration of an idea that seems contradictory upon first glance.
Paradox
Poetry written in unrhymed but metered lines, almost always iambic pentameter
Blank verse
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
38
How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?
154
