Poetry & Drama Terminology Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key poetry and drama terms from the lecture notes.

Dramatic Poem

A long poem in which the poet’s own personality is excluded.

Lyric

A poem meant to be sung in which the poet reveals personal thoughts or feelings.

Elegy

A short poem of lament or regret.

Ballad

A narrative poem in stanza form, usually dealing with folklore.

Anapestic

A metrical foot of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable.

Free Verse

Poetry written in iambic pentameter without rhyme (in this note set).

Conventions

Standard or traditional ways of expression in literary works.

Dactylic

A metrical foot of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables.

Hexameter

A poetic line containing six feet.

Iambic

A metrical foot of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Iambic Pentameter

Lines composed of five iambic feet; the most common meter in English poetry.

Imagery

Language that evokes sensory experience or mental images.

Octameter

A poetic line containing eight feet.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech combining two apparently contradictory elements, e.g., “wise fool.”

Pastoral

A poem depicting the simple, rural life of country folk.

Pentameter

A poetic line containing five feet.

Sonnet

A fixed verse form of fourteen lines.

Petrarchan Sonnet

An Italian sonnet divided into an octave and a sestet, typically abba cddc / efgefg.

Shakespearean Sonnet

An English sonnet of three quatrains and a couplet, rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg.

Spondee

A metrical foot of two stressed syllables (note text lists stressed + unstressed).

Epic

A long narrative poem celebrating the achievements of a mighty hero.

Epigram

Originally a poem carved in stone; now a short, witty verse.

Foot

The basic unit by which meter is measured in poetry.

Meter

The pattern or kind of rhythmic beats in a poem.

Scansion

The system of analyzing a poem’s meter and feet.

Figurative Language

Any way of saying something other than the literal way.

Metaphor

An implied comparison between two unlike things.

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as.”

Personification

Giving human attributes to an animal, object, or idea.

Symbol

Something that stands for or suggests more than its literal meaning.

Sentimentality

Writing aimed at false or excessive emotion rather than fresh expression.

Denotation

The dictionary, literal meaning of a word.

Connotation

The emotional or associative meaning a word suggests.

Apostrophe

Addressing someone absent, dead, or nonhuman as if it could reply.

Onomatopoeia

A word whose sound imitates its meaning.

Assonance

Repetition or similarity of vowel sounds within words.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the ends of words.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Metonymy

Substituting something closely related for the thing actually meant.

Allegory

A narrative with a second, deeper meaning beneath the surface; an extended metaphor.

Paradox

An apparent contradiction that is nevertheless true.

Overstatement (Hyperbole)

An intentional exaggeration for effect.

Understatement

Saying less than one means for ironic effect.

Sarcasm

Bitter or cutting speech intended to ridicule.

Satire

Formal ridicule used to expose and criticize folly or vice in literature.

Dramatic Irony

A contrast between what a speaker says and what the poem actually means.

Irony of Situation

A discrepancy between actual circumstances and what seems appropriate or expected.

Allusion

A reference to a person, event, or work in history or literature.

Didactic Poetry

Poetry intended to teach or preach a lesson.

Quatrain

A stanza of four lines.

Sestet

A six-line stanza.

Couplet

Two successive lines of poetry linked by rhyme.

Octave

An eight-line stanza.

Metrical Pause

A deliberate pause within a poetic line.

Amphitheater

Classical Greek theater design with a stage surrounded by semicircular tiered seating.

Chorus

A group of actors who comment on and describe the play’s action.

Comedy

A drama meant to amuse, presenting societal conflict and ending with restored social order.

Farce

A comedy marked by broad humor, physical antics, and slapstick.

Myth

A traditional story shared within a culture to explain history or customs.

Soliloquy

A monologue in which a character speaks alone on stage, revealing inner thoughts.

Tragedy

A drama in which a noble protagonist is brought to disaster, often by a fatal character flaw.