The Fundamentals
A speech meant only for the audience's ears, not for other characters on stage.
What is a soliloquy?
The term for a rhythm consisting of unstressed followed by stressed syllables.
What is an iamb?
In the 5-act structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, this act is typically the turning point or climax.
What is Act 3?
When the audience knows something the characters do not, creating suspense or tension.
What is dramatic irony?
"The play's the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King" is an example of this literary term.
What is end rhyme?
A long speech delivered by a character to other characters on stage.
What is a monologue?
Shakespeare’s distinct style, which utilizes five iambs per line.
What is iambic pentameter?
In the 5-act structure, this act serves as the exposition, setting up the main characters and conflict.
What is Act 1?
When a character says one thing but means the opposite.
What is verbal irony?
"O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven / It hath the primal eldest curse upon't" is an example of this literary term.
What is a allusion?
A theatrical device used prior to a play to outline major themes and the storyline.
What is a dumb show?
The repetition of a vowel sound used to increase the lyricism of a line.
What is assonance?
In the 5-act structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, what is the second act called?
What is the rising action?
When the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected.
What is situational irony?
“Safely stowed” (IV.ii.1) is an example of this literary term.
What is alliteration?
A brief remark spoken to the audience that other characters cannot hear.
What is an aside?
The general term for the use of a regular rhythm of stressed and unstressed syllables.
What is poetic meter?
In the 5-act structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, what is the fourth act called?
What is the falling action?
This device uses wordplay to create humor or multiple meanings.
What is a pun?
“And thirty dozen moons with borrowed sheen / About the world have times twelve thirties been” (III.ii.92-93) is an example of this literary term.
What is slant rhyme?
A main figure in a tragedy who is often sympathetic but undone by a fatal flaw.
Who is a tragic hero?
The rhetorical device used to balance contrasting ideas within a parallel structure.
What is antithesis?
In the 5-act structure of a Shakespearean tragedy, what is the fifth act called?
What is the catastrophe?
Devices like quick jokes, puns, or irony used to lighten the mood in a heavy tragedy.
What is comic relief?
“List, Hamlet, O, list! / If thou didst ever thy dear father love—“ (I.v.26-27) serves this rhetorical purpose.
What is pathos?