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Literary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| figurative language | expand ideas and amplify imagery |
| simile | 'his virtues will plead like angels |
| metaphor | 'Macbeth is a dead butcher' |
| personification | 'pity is like a naked newborn babe. I think our country sinks beneath the yoke'; giving human traits to objects |
| hyperbole | excessive exaggeration - 'will all great Neptune's ocean was this blood' |
| understatement | the presentation of something being smaller or less important than it actually is. 'this is a sorry sight' |
| soliloquy | a monologue whereby the character is alone on stage. device used to give insight to character's thoughts and emotions. |
| aside | the character speaks to himself or directly to the audience. there are other characters n stage who by convention do hear the aside |
| foil | a character who highlights or emphasizes certain traits of the main character by contrasting them |
| allusion | an indirect reference to another event, person, or work which the writer assumes the reader is familiar |
| supernatural | a force beyond scientific understanding |
| madness | either real or pretended |
| tragic hero | a great or virtuous character who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat as a result of his own actions; the protagonist of a tragedy |
| internal conflict | example: struggle between Macbeth's sense of right and his strong desire to kill the king and please his wife |
| dynamic character | someone who undergoes an important, internal change and conflict; Macbeth is a strong example |
| static character | a character who undergoes little or no inner change; a character who does not grow or develop; Lady Macbeth is a strong example |
| weird sisters | referred to as "witches" only in the stage directions. no one sitting in the audience seeing the play will hear the word "witch" even once. in this context, the word "weird" means fate or destiny |
| tragedy | literary work depicting serious events in which the main character, who is often high-ranking and dignified, comes to an unhappy end |
| paradox | a contradiction that on closer inspection is actually true; "Fair is foul and foul is far" |
| theme | a central idea of a literary work |
| alliteration | repeated sound of the first letter in a series of multiple words- "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" |
Created by:
WoodardC18
Popular English Vocabulary sets