Literary Elements
The green light in The Great Gatsby is an example of this type of element.
Literary Symbolism
"The angels not half so happy in heaven..."
assonance
the main character of a work who engages the reader's interest and empathy
protagonist
DAILY DOUBLE: The protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird who learns the true meaning of racism and friendship.
Scout Finch
a short line spoken to the audience, not intended for the other characters on stage to hear
aside
A literary work that holds up human failings to ridicule such as Animal Farm.
Directly addressing a person or an object in poetry
apostrophe
A main character like Holden Caufield who lacks the typical heroic qualities is this.
antihero
Named for a paper company, he is the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451.
Montag
a long speech by one character who is alone on stage
soliloquy
At the end of A Doll's House, the moment when Nora realizes she has to leave her home is called what?
epiphany
elegy
an extremely typical or best example of a type of character
archetype
The tragic clown in Romeo and Juliet who suffers a "grave death".
Mercutio
this is what brings a tragic hero to his tragic fate
tragic flaw (hamartia)
DAILY DOUBLE: When an author begins a work "in the midst of things" this element is applied.
in medias res
Discordant language as in "never my numb plunker fumbles..."
cacophony
flat character who embody specific stereotypes like the dumb blonde or the wicked stepmother
stock characters
Character who claims that, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Marcellus
It is suggested that Hamlet suffers from this which explains his weird relationship with his mother
Oedipal complex
A work in which the characters, behaviors, or setting demonstrate multi-levels of meaning and significance
allegory
a pause within a line of poetry that contributes to it rhythm
caesura
excessive pride a character can display like Claudius or Helmer
hubris
Has an epiphany when she leaves her husband and children in Henrik Ibsen's notable work.
Nora
Shakespeare uses these two-lined rhymes often in his works-in his sonnets, they house the theme
couplet