William Shakespeare
The most common theme found in Shakespeare's poetry
Love
A play that ends in death or catastrophe
Tragedy
The main character of a tragedy
Tragic hero
A story written to be performed on stage
Drama
Conversation between characters
Dialogue
The type of poetry Shakespeare was most known for writing
Sonnet
A play with a happy ending, often involving marriage
Comedy
The mistake that leads to a hero’s downfall
Tragic flaw
A major division of a play
Act
Humor used to reduce tension in a serious play
Comic relief
The country and century Shakespeare was born in
England, 16th century
The central character in a story who drives the plot forward by pursuing a goal
Protagonist
The underlying, central idea or universal message of a literary work, film, or art piece
Theme
A smaller division within an act
Scene
When the audience knows more than the characters
Dramatic irony
Shakespeare became popular under this monarch's reign
Queen Elizabeth I
The number of lines contained in a sonnet
14
A character who contrasts another to highlight traits
The two main ways plot is developed in drama
Dialogue and action
Words spoken to the audience or to another character but that are not supposed to be heard by the others onstage
Aside
A word meaning Shakespeare produced a large amount of work
Prolific
The rhythmic pattern Shakespeare used in much of his writing
Iambic pentameter
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Blank verse
The opening speech that introduces a play and the title of the actor who delivers it
Prologue, chorus
A speech given alone on stage revealing thoughts
Soliloquy