Anagnorisis
Greek for ârecognitionâ; the moment when a character moves from ignorance to knowledge.
Antagonist
The character most in moral opposition/contrast to the protagonist. Often a villain.
Anti-climax
AKA Bathos; when an event that has been built up has an unsatisfying or tension-diffused ending. Often used for comedy.
Apostrophe
Addressing an abstract idea/entity; eg âO, death!â
Archetype
A character who fits the qualities and attributes of a traditional, well-known character role.
Aside
When a character stops speaking to tell someone else something they donât want other characters to hear. Often towards the audience/reader, breaking the fourth wall. Often written using parentheses or hyphens.
Bawdy
Vulgar, coarse, or sexual innuendo.
Blank Verse
Unrhymed lines of Iambic Pentameter. Most common English verse form bc it mimics everyday speech rhythms.
Blazon
French for âcoat of armsâ; poetical device where womenâs features are described and praised in a list from top to bottom. E.g hair â eyes â nose â lips â neck â breasts.
Bombast
Absurdly pretentious speech, which, when used intentionally by the author, is spoken by pompous/ridiculous characters.
Cadence
The melodic rise/fall of patterns of speech/prose/verse.
Caesura
Latin for âcut'; a pause in the middle of a line of verse. Generally not marked â it's part of the way the reader/singer pronounces the line.
Catastrophe
Greek for âoverturningâ; the tragic resolution of a narrative, often involving the protagonistâs death.
Catharsis
Greek for âpurgationâ; the purging of guilt/unhealthy emotion from the protagonist OR the purging of horror and fear from the audience at the end of a tragedy.
Climax
The point of highest tension in the narrative.
Comedy
Greek for ârevelâ; a genre of narrative dating back to Ancient Greece. Usually set in everyday environments and almost always have happy endings. If a work of Shakespeare ends with a marriage, it is a comedy.
Comic relief
Humour written in to give the audience/reader a break during darker scenes.
Crisis
Just before the climax, when something terrible has happened; the high stakes are set.
Denouement
French for âuntyingâ; the resolution of the plot.
Dramatic Irony
When the audience/readers know something the characters donât.
Eponymous Hero
A character whose name is in the title of their narrative.
Exposition
Establishing the setting and characters of the text.
Farce
A dramatic comedy characterised by slapstick, ridiculous scenarios, and a frantic pace. Featuring exaggerated human types and far-fetched coincidences.
Hamartia
A characterâs âfatal flawâ - the characteristic that will lead to their downfall (eg pride, loyalty).
Hero/Heroine
A character who saves the day; typically the main character and the protagonist.
Hubris
Greek for âwanton insolenceâ; a characterâs belief that they are the best (often better than the gods in their universe). A fatal flaw.
In Media Res
Latin for âin the middle of thingsâ; a narrative opening in the middle of the action.
Juxtaposition
Opposite or contrasting ideas, themes, motifs, objects, or characters, placed next to each other.
Machiavellian Character
A character who is like the 16th century Florentine statesman, Niccolo Machiavelli, who was atheistic, unscrupulous, cunning, and ruthless.
Meter
The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.
Mood
The atmosphere and tone
Motif
A repeated theme, idea, or image.
Pathos
Making the audience/reader feel empathy for a character
Peripeteia
Greek for âsudden changeâ; the reversal of a protagonist's fortunes from prosperity to misery.
Plot
The narrative of a text.
Poetic Justice
When good behaviour is rewarded and bad behaviour is punished.
Resolution
When the conflict of the narrative is fixed, usually towards the end.
Soliloquy
Latin for âto speak aloneâ; a speech made by one character who is either alone onstage or cannot be heard by other characters. Used to show a characterâs inner thoughts and help the audience understand their motives.
Stress
Emphasis on certain syllables.
Subplot
A secondary narrative that happens concurrent to the main narrative but is not central to it.
Tragedy
A genre of narrative dating back to Ancient Greece. Plots surround the downfall of the protagonist, who dies at the end, often due to their Hamartia. If a work of Shakespeare begins with a marriage, it is a tragedy.
Tragic Flaw
A characterâs âfatal flawâ - the characteristic that will lead to their downfall (eg pride, loyalty). (Synonymous with Hamartia)
Unities
A classical drama convention that required playwrights to observe Unity of Time, Unity of Place, and Unity of Action in their works.
This means a play's action should happen within a 24 hour time period (sometimes 36), in one geographical location, and only feature a small group of characters.