Shakespeare Literary Terms

play, novel, or other narrative that depicts serious and important events in which the main character comes to an unhappy end

a short introduction at the beginning of a play that gives a brief overview of the plot

14 line lyric poem, usually written in iambic pentameter and that has one of several rhyme schemes

direct, unadorned form of language, written or spoken, in ordinary use

a group who says things at the same time

event or detail that is inappropriate for the time period

a writer/speaker says one thing, but really means something completely different

the audience/reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know

a speech by one character in a play

an unusually long speech in which a characer who is on stage alone expresses his or her thoughts aloud

character who is used as a contrast to another character; writer sets off/intensifies the qualities of 2 characteristics this way

combination of contradictory terms (jumbo shrimp)

words that are spoken by a character in a play to audience or to another character but are not supposed to be overheard by others onstage

a play on the multiple meanings of a word, or on two words that sound alike but have different meanings

humor added that lessens the seriousness of a plot

character who does not change much in the course of a story

character who changes as a result of the story's events

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

2 consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme; often signals the exit of a character or end of a scene