Know your A, B, C ...
the repetition of a speech sound in a sequence of words
Alliteration
when a sentence is longer than one line in a poem and runs on to the next line
enjambment
the audience can feel that something bad is going to happen
(a sense of) foreboding
an amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.
comic relief
You are like the sun to me
Simile
a reference to a person, place, or event, or to another literary work
Allusion
lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs
couplet
to be dangerously over-confident and act in a way that defies God
(to commit) hubris
another word for exaggeration. Shakespeare often uses it to poke fun at his characters. E.g. they could exaggerate their emotions.
hyperbole
The yellow rose cried with jealousy
personification
language that is amusing in a coarse or indecent way
bawdy language
five pairs with a light syllable followed by a stressed syllable
iambic pentameter
when the author gives us clues or hints as to what will happen further on in the play
foreshadowing
A question asked for effect
rhetorical question
He has a heart of gold.
metaphor
consists of lines of iambic pentameter (five-stress iambic verse), which are unrhymed
blank verse
figurative language, especially metaphors and similes
imagery
the secret weakness of character that brings about a tragic hero's downfall
tragic flaw
a form of antithesis where the opposing words are placed directly next to each other
oxymoron
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.
apostophe
a kind of extended metaphor. Almost like a long metaphor consisting of many building blocks.
Conceit
a lyric poem consisting of a single stanza of fourteen iambic pentameter lines linked by an intricate rhyme scheme
sonnet
related words from a particular area
lexical field
a remark that suggests something sexual or something unpleasant but does not refer to it directly
innuendo
To be or not to be - that is the question.
caesura