| A | B |
|---|
| oxymoron | a pairing of opposites to give the effect of confusion |
| pun | a play on words with humorous intent |
| sonnet | a 14 line lyric poem that usually deals with love |
| iambic pentameter | a line 10 syllables long with a pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables |
| blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
| soliloquy | long speech given by a character alone to reveal thoughts |
| monologue | a long speech among others that monopolizes the conversation |
| foreshadowing | clues that predict events to come |
| rhyme scheme | a rhyming pattern created by the last word in each line of a poem |
| couplet | two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme |
| stanza | a grouping of lines of poetry equating to a paragraph in prose |
| double entendre | expressions with two meanings |
| imbedded sonnet | a 14 line love poem that is disguised between the conversation of two or more characters |
| foil | a character who provides striking contrast to another character. |
| chorus | In Shakespeare's play, the chorus is made up of characters who summarize events to repeat key elements of the story |
| tragedy | a story that ends with death and sadnness |
| aside | dramatic device in which a character speaks his thoughts aloud to be heard by the audience but not by other characters |
| allusion | a reference to another literary work, famous person, place, event, or idea |
| comic relief | humorous scene or incident that is included in a serious drama to provide for a change from emotional intensity |
| epic | a long narrative poem that celebrates the adventures of a society's hero |
| Homeric simile | an extended simile that compares two unalike things using like or as |
| in medius res | literary technique of beginning a story "in the middle of things" |
| hubris | Latin word for pride, the number 1 tragic flaw |
| tragic flaw | a failing within a character's personality that helps to bring about his/her downfall |
| tragic hero | the character whose flaw helps to bring about his/her downfall; the character must learn wisdom before dying |
| catharsis | the purging of emotions |
| myth | a story told to explain why and how things occur; in addition, these stories can teach lessons about the failings of humans |
