Allusion A brief reference in one work of literature to a
person, place, or event in another work of literature or in
history, art, or music Example: When she lost her job, she acted
like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasnt necessary.
Scrooge was an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens, A
Christmas Carol.
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Analogy An extended comparison showing the similarities between
two things Examples: Their relationship began to thaw. John Mayer
has a voice of velvet.
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Antagonist The character or force that works against the
protagonist; introduces the conflict Examples: President Snow in
The Hunger Games The Japanese army from Code Talkers
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Aside Words spoken by a character in the play, either to the
audience or to another character that others on stage are not
supposed to hear. Its purpose is to reveal the characters private
thoughts
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Blank Verse A form of poetry that uses unrhymed lines of iambic
pentameter Shakespeares plays are commonly written in blank verse
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace
from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our
yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out,
brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That
struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more:
it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying
nothing.
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Characterization The personality a character displays The means
by which the author reveals that personality
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Climax The point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or
suspense in a narrative
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Comic Relief A humorous scene, incident, or speech that
relieves the overall emotional intensity Provides contrast Helps
the audience absorb the earlier events in the plot & get ready
for the ones to come
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Conflict A struggle between two opposing characters or
forces
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Couplet Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme
Shakespearean Examples: "Blessed are you whose worthiness gives
scope, Being had, to triumph; being lacked, to hope. "So, till the
judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in
lovers' eyes. "How like Eve's apple doth thy beauty grow, If thy
sweet virtue answer not thy show!"
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Diction A writers choice of words for clarity, effectiveness,
and precision
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Dramatic Conventions Devices that theater audiences accept as
realistic even though they do not necessarily reflect the way
real-life people behave
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Epithet A descriptive adjective or phrase used to characterize
someone or something Examples: Thou mad mustachio purple-hued
maltworm! Thou puking knotty-pated lout!
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Figurative Language Language that is not intended to be
interpreted in a literal sense
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Foil A character whose personality or attitudes are in sharp
contrast to those of another character in the same work
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Foreshadowing Hints given to the audience about what will
happen later in the play Often used to add suspense Examples in
Prologue: fatal star-crossed lovers death marked love their
childrens end
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Iambic Meter Unstressed syllable followed by a stressed
syllable
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Iambic Pentameter Lines that ideally have five unstressed
syllables, each followed by a stressed syllable Pattern is not
always perfect and there are sometimes breaks In fair Verona, where
we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where
civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins
of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their
life;
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Imagery Language that appeals to any sense or any combination
of the senses Sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell
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Irony Dramatic Irony: A contrast between what the audience
perceives and what a character does not know Situational Irony: A
contrast between what is expected and what actually happens Verbal
Irony: A contrast between what is said and what is meant
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Metaphor A comparison between two unlike things with the intent
of giving added meaning to one of them; using the words was or is
Example: My dad is my rock.
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Monologue A long, uninterrupted speech presented in front of
other characters
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Motivation A reason that explains why a character thinks,
feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way Results from a combination
of the characters personality and the situation at hand
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Oxymoron A figure of speech that combines apparent
contradictory terms
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Personification A figure of speech in which an animal, object,
natural force, or idea is given a personality and described as
human
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Protagonist The main character in a play or story
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Pun The humorous use of a word or phrase to suggest two or more
meanings at the same time
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Simile A comparison made between two dissimilar things through
the use of a specific word of comparison, such as like or as
Examples: Cute as a kitten Busy as a bee Life is like a box of
chocolates. Forrest Gump Blind as a bat
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Soliloquy A speech in which a character is alone on stage and
expresses thoughts out loud
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Sonnet A fourteen line lyric poem, usually written in iambic
pentameter, that has one of several rhyme schemes Shall I compare
thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease
hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven
shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed, And every fair
from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course
untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose
possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou
wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this,
and this gives life to thee.
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Suspense That quality of a literary work that makes the
audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events
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Symbol Any object, person, place, or action that has a meaning
in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself
Such as quality, attitude, belief, or value
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Theme The central idea of a work of literature
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Tragedy A drama that ends in catastrophe (most often death) for
the main character and often for several other important
characters, as well
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Tragic Hero The main character who is usually nobly born and
who may have great influence in his or her society Has one or more
character flaw that leads to their downfall Weakness or serious
error in judgment Fate plays a role in their life