Words and their definitions YOU NEED TO KNOW Flashcards
you need to know all of these for the quiz
Sonnet
The form of the poems is an English variation of the traditional fourteen-line sonnet. The lines, which each have ten syllables, are arranged into three quatrains, or groups of four lines, and a final couplet (two successive lines that rhyme).
Iambic pentameter
a rhythmic pattern with 10 syllables per line, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables
Tragedy
A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
Soliloquy
A speech, usually lengthy, in which a character, ALONE ON STAGE, expresses his or her thoughts aloud.
Aside
Words spoken by a character in a play ARE NOT intended to be heard by other characters on stage.
Monologue
A long, uninterrupted speech (in a narrative or drama) that is spoken in the presence of other characters. Unlike a soliloquy and most asides, a monologue is heard by other characters.
Pun :D haha
Usually, the HUMOROUS use of a word or phrase to suggest two or more meanings at the same time.
Foil
A character whose attributes or characteristics contrast with those of another character, making the other character’s traits stand out. Often, the traits are evenly matched but opposite of each other.
Catastrophe
An event that marks the character’s ultimate tragic downfall – such as death – at the end of the resolution of the play.
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement, idea or event which is nevertheless true (Banquo: less happy, yet much happier)
Oxymoron
A combination of contradictory words which make a sensible idea: fair foulness, jumbo shrimp, icy hot
symbol
A thing that represents both itself (literally) and something more abstract: blood on Lady Mac’s hands is actually blood, but it’s also her guilt
mood
Atmosphere created in the reader’s head by the author’s use of word choice and other literary devices: horror – dark night, no stars
motif
An element that recurs in one or more works of art: for ex: ambition, deception, disturbances in nature blood, madness, sleep in this play
hyperbole
Exaggeration made for effect: ex: when Lady Mac says one drop of blood could stain a whole ocean
Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
Alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
simile
a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Allusion
an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or to a part of another text.
Dramatic irony
a literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters.3
