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A division or unit of a literary work; major sections- typically for plays
Act
A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.
MOTIF
A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word.
PUN
The turning point of the play; where the tragic hero reaches the point of no return.
CLIMAX
Making a comparison without the use of like or as
METAPHOR
The act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself, regardless of any hearers.
SOLILOQUY
Irony that can be seen by the audience of a play but not grasped by the characters on stage.
DRAMATIC IRONY
A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear back-to-back. A typically a 2-word phrase.
OXYMORON
An emotional released usually caused by forms of art or writing. Often used in Dramas.
Catharsis
Reflecting human traits and feelings onto inanimate objects, nature, or animals
PATHETIC FALLACY
Written or spoken language in its ordinary form; no metrical structure.
PROSE
Visually descriptive or figurative language usually found in literary works.
IMAGERY
When words express something contrary to the truth or says the opposite of what they really feel; often sarcastic.
VERBAL IRONY
An event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.
CATASTROPHE
The attribution of human qualities to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality
PERSONIFICATION
To show or indicate beforehand. When events in a play indirectly predict upcoming events.
FORESHADOWING
A play dealing with tragic events resulting in an unhappy ending; usually concerns the protagonist’s downfall.
TRAGEDY
A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory but in reality expressed a possible truth
PARADOX
These are generally identifiable as plays full of fun, irony and dazzling wordplay. They also abound in disguises and mistaken identities, with very convoluted plots that are difficult to follow with very contrived endings.
Shakespearean Comedy
Making a comparison using like or as.
SIMILE
Two lines of verse, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme that forms a unit.
COUPLET
A remark by a character on stage that is intended to be heard by the audience but not the characters.
ASIDE
When two contrasting things are placed closed together to create a contrasting effect.
JUXSTAPOSITION
A quality or power that evokes a feeling of pity, or of sympathetic and kindly sorrow or compassion
An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; a passing reference.
ALLUSION