Literary Terms

jumbo shrimp You drive on a parkway, but park on a

driveway. a silent scream a bland spice anarchy rules!

What do you call an unemployed jester?What do you call an unemployed jester?

Nobody’s foolNobody’s fool

Impatient customer to waiter: “Waiter, Impatient customer to waiter: “Waiter, do you serve do you serve crabscrabs?” ?”

Waiter: “Sit down, sir—we serve Waiter: “Sit down, sir—we serve anyoneanyone.”.”

"Oops! There goes my hat!" said Tom off the top of his head.

You have nimble soles. I have a soul of lead that stakes me to the ground.

A drama that ends in catastrophe for the main character and often several other important characters [usually death].

ROMEO & JULIET

Usually Usually someone who someone who is nobly born is nobly born and has one and has one or more fatal or more fatal flaws that flaws that leads to his or leads to his or her downfall. her downfall.

Romeo Montague→

A humorous A humorous scene, incident, scene, incident, or speech that or speech that relieves the relieves the overall overall emotional emotional intensity.intensity.Mercutio…Romeo, Bon jour! There’s a French salutation to your French Slop. You gave us the counterfeit fairly last night.

Devices that theater audiences Devices that theater audiences accept as realistic even though accept as realistic even though they do not reflect the way real-they do not reflect the way real-

life people behave.life people behave.

A speech that A speech that a character a character gives when he gives when he or she is alone or she is alone on stage.on stage.Juliet…O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?Deny they father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

A character’s A character’s remark that remark that others on others on stage are not stage are not supposed to supposed to hear.hear.Like telling a secret out loud.

A character whose personality or attitudes are in sharp contrast to those of another character in the same work.

Tybalt Benvolio

An extravagant An extravagant exaggeration.exaggeration.

Your father says, “I Your father says, “I told you a million told you a million times to clean up times to clean up your room!”your room!”

in literature, an in literature, an implied or indirect implied or indirect reference to a reference to a person, event, or person, event, or thing or to a part of thing or to a part of another textanother text

Romeo says about Romeo says about Rosaline: “She hath Dian’s Rosaline: “She hath Dian’s wit” is a reference to wit” is a reference to Diana (Artemis) goddess Diana (Artemis) goddess of the moon/archery. One of the moon/archery. One of her traits is her chastity of her traits is her chastity (purity).(purity).

Tragedy-A drama or literary work in which the main Tragedy-A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.circumstances.

  Tragic Hero- Tragic Hero- a character of noble birth with a tragic a character of noble birth with a tragic flaw.flaw.

HamartiaHamartia – – the tragic flaw that leads to the tragic the tragic flaw that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall.hero’s downfall.

RecognitionRecognition – – occurs as the hero meets his occurs as the hero meets his catastrophecatastrophe

  ReversalReversal – occurs when the opposite of what the – occurs when the opposite of what the herohero intends is what happens. intends is what happens.

 

A form of poetry that uses unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter-lines that ideally have five unstressed syllables followed by five stressed syllables. Unstressed/Stressed

Romeo…But, soft, what light through yon-der win-dow breaks?

It is the east, and Jul-iet is the sun.A-rise, fair sun, and kill the en-vious moon, Who is al-read-y sick and pale with griefThat thou her maid art far more fair than she.This passage is also an example of a soliloquy.