Unit 6 Flashcards
blank verse
A type of poetry that has a meter but no rhyme scheme.
caesura
A natural pause within a line of poetic verse.
etymology
Refers to the meanings of a word’s roots, suffixes, and prefixes, as well as its historical origins.
heroic couplet
An alternative pattern in blank verse in which two lines of iambic pentameter are rhymed.
catharsis
This Greek term literally means “purification” or “purging.” In Aristotle’s classic definition of tragedy, catharsis is the ultimate emotional goal of the playwright.
comedy
In comedy, the plot and its characters are generally amusing and light-hearted, and things end happily.
comedy of manners
A realistic play that uses witty dialogue to poke fun at social conventions, especially those surrounding marriage. This form was popularized during the late 17th century (the Restoration period).
romantic comedy
A comedy that focuses on the difficulties of a love affair but always ends in happy reconciliation for the hero and heroine.
comic relief
Moments of joking, irony, or other humor inserted into a tragic plot to relieve tension or keep the mood from getting too serious.
farce
A highly exaggerated, often ludicrous, type of comedy that relies on low-level humor, horseplay, and clownish gags to make the audience laugh as much as possible.
tragedy
Aristotle defines “tragedy” as a serious subject involving important, essentially good people whose tragic flaw leads to pathos, suffering, and eventually their downfall. The characters are generally serious and heavy-handed, and things end disastrously.
classical tragedy
A type of tragedy that deals with the downfall of heroes.
domestic tragedy
A type of tragedy that deals with the downfall of common people.
revenge tragedy
A type of tragedy that deals with the downfall of enemies.
romantic tragedy
A type of tragedy that deals with the downfall of lovers.
