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Shakespeare Lit Notes
Drama terms
22
Literature
11th Grade
05/11/2010

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Cards

Term
Blank Verse
Definition
unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter; every other syllable is accented.
Term

Dramatic Foil-

Definition
opposite/ brings out character traits of another character
Term

Soliloquy

Definition
character is alone on stage expresses thoughts and feelings, as if thinking aloud (SOLO= by yourself))
Term

Monologue,

Definition
character talks a long time, but in the presence or to other characters.  (MONO=one)
Term

Dialogue

Definition
conversation with at least 2 characters.
Term
Aside
Definition
brief remark from a character to the audience (off to the side) that is not heard by other characters.
Term
Allusion
Definition
reference to literature, religion, mythology, or history. Deepens meaning of the line or story.
Term
Irony
Definition
4 types – verbal (sarcasm; saying something other than what is meant in order to cause a certain effect),
Term
situational
Definition
(irony that a situation occurs that the reader does not expect, or is opposite of what is expects; if it is a situation that ends in death or tragedy, it then becomes cosmic irony, AKA “fate”),
Term

dramatic irony

Definition
(which is when the reader knows more about a situation in the story than the other characters do.)
Term

Foreshadowing

Definition
 the author gives hints and preparations for future events in the story
Term

Tragedy

Definition
drama type where central character meets with tragedy or misfortune. Conflicts usually end in death. Tragedies evoke the disillusionment and agony of life.  Tragic protagonists are destroyed by their own self-destructive tendencies, or by external forces over which they have no control – nature, rivals, society, war, poverty, illness.  Their downfall and death often seem predestined
Term

Comedy -

Definition
Comedies reflect the foibles, contradictions, and confusions of man and society.  They may be broadly funny and playful, wry and cynical, or satirical and biting.  Comic protagonists face many conflicts, but they usually emerge unscathed from them.
Term

Theme

Definition
insight to life, in tragedy it concerns the downfall of the hero or heroine. Can be universal (like love, revenge) or specific (illicit love does not always last forever)            Examples include vengeance, passion, forgiveness, despair, hope,
Term
Imagery
Definition
 use of rich, descriptive language to evoke the senses. It creates mood and reveals characters.
Term

Personification

Definition
giving inanimate objects human qualities.
Term

Metaphorical language

Definition
uses metaphors to compare unlike things
Term

Similes

Definition
 uses “like” or “as” to compare two unlike things
Term

Chorus

Definition
in Shakespearean drama, a chorus is a group of narrators who sum up or preview the action.
Term

Sonnet

Definition
a 14 line poem that has a specific rhyme scheme. Shakespeare created the “English sonnet” abab  cdcd  efef  gg (3 quatrains with one couplet; a quatrain is 4 lines—think “quattro”; a couplet is a “couple” of lines, or 2)
Term
Prologue
Definition
introduction to a play that gives basic or background information
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