2009 Literary Terms for Romeo and Juliet
Terms
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- IAMBIC PENTAMETER
- a poetic form that consists of five iambs ( a unit of measure); used to mimic the natural rhythms of the English language
- IMAGERY
- the "mental picture" that is created by descriptive and figurative language
- HYPERBOLE
- a bold overstatement, or the extravagant exaggeration of fact or of possibility
- END RHYME
- words that rhyme at the end of each line of verse
- FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
- language that is not intended to be understood literally; figures of speech, the simile and metaphors are used in this style of writing
- COMIC RELIEF
- the introduction of comic characters, speeches, or scenes in a serious or tragic work, especially dramas. It alleviates tension and adds variety.
- VERBAL IRONY
- a statement in which the meaning that a speaker implies differs sharply from the meaning that is expressed
- TRAGEDY
- dramatic representations of serious actions which result in a disastrous conclusion for the main character(s). The protagonist is often a dignified, or high-ranking character who causes downfall may be caused by his own flaw or weakness
- DRAMATIC IRONY
- occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a character in a play or story does not know.
- PUN
- a play on words that are either identical in sound(homonyms) or very simiolar sound, but are sharply diverse in significance
- ALLITERATION
- The repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another. This action occurs most often at the beginning of words, as in "rough and ready". But consonants within words sometimes do this also, as in "baby blue". The echoes that this technique create can increase a poem's rhythmic and musical effects and make it more memorable. It is a common feature of Anglo-Saxon poetry; in most lines, two or three of the four stressed syllables perform this sound.
- SITUATIONAL IRONY
- occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected or is appropriate
- PERSONIFICATION
- a literary device in which the author gives life life qualities to inanimate objects or concepts
- FORESHADOWING
- hints or clues given by the author to predict events to happen later in the story
- BLANK VERSE
- a poetic form that usually uses a metrical pattern known as unrhymed iambic pentameter
- OXYMORON
- is a paradox expressed in just 2 or 3 words ( bright smoke, feather of lead, etc)
- METAPHOR
- an direct comparison of two unlike things without using an explicit comparative word such as "like" or "as"
- SIMILE
- uses the words "like", "as", "resembles", or "than" to compare two unlike things
- ONOMANTOPOEIA
- a word or combination of words whose sound seems to resemble closely the sound it denotes; "buzz", "hiss", etc..
- THEME
- is the central idea or insight of a literary work
- SOLILOQUY
- the act of talking to oneself, whether silently or aloud
- PARADOX
- a statement that seems contradictory, but expresses a truth
- ALLUSION
- An indirect or passing reference to some event, person, place, or artistic work, the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the writer but relies on the reader's familiarity with what is thus mentioned.