Dramatic Features in Macbeth

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering the dramatic features discussed in the lecture on Macbeth.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds within close proximity, usually in consecutive words within the same sentence or line.

Allusion

A reference, explicit or implicit, to something in previous literature or history, often used to reference cultural works.

Anagnorisis

A moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery.

Antagonist

Counterpart to the main character and source of a story’s main conflict, who opposes the protagonist.

Antithesis

Literally means 'opposite'; refers to a pair of statements or images in which one reverses the other.

Aposiopesis

When a sentence is purposefully left incomplete or cut off, often indicated by an em dash or ellipsis.

Aside

A brief speech in which a character turns to speak directly to the audience, revealing true thoughts.

Blank verse

Non-rhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter.

Catharsis

The purging of feelings of pity and fear, occurring in the audience of tragic drama.

Characterization

The author’s means of conveying a character’s personality, life history, values, and physical attributes.

Climax

The turning point in a story, where the end result becomes inevitable, usually the dramatic high point.

Comic Relief

A humorous incident introduced into a serious work to relieve tension or heighten emotional impact.

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces that drives the story; can be external or internal.

Contrast

Difference, especially noticeable in pairs; shows differences in characteristics or themes.

Context

Conditions surrounding a situation, including facts, social/historical background, time and place.

Denouement

The conclusion of a story where conflicts are resolved, creating normality for the characters.

Deus ex machina

The resolution of a plot by a highly improbable chance or coincidence.

Dialogue

Where characters speak to one another, often revealing thoughts and actions through conversation.

Dramatic irony

Where the audience is aware of something important that the characters are not aware of.

Equivocation

The use of vague language to hide one's meaning or avoid committing to a point of view.

Exposition

Where an author explains background information, interrupting the story to provide context.

Figurative language

Language where the intended meaning differs from the literal meaning, including metaphors and similes.

Foil

A character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities.

Foreshadowing

Hints or suggestions of future events in a story, creating anticipation.

Hubris

Overbearing or excessive pride, often leading to a downfall.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated descriptions used to convey strong feelings or impressions.

Iambic pentameter

A poetic meter containing ten syllables per line, with emphasis on the second syllable.

Imagery

Descriptive language that creates sensory stimulation, appealing to the senses.

Irony

When an event occurs that is unexpected or in contradiction to what would be appropriate.

Metaphor

A direct relationship where one thing is described as being another, signifying similarity.

Mood

The atmosphere or emotional condition created by a piece of writing.

Motif

A recurring important idea or image throughout a literary work.

Onomatopoeia

Words that phonetically mimic or resemble the sound they describe.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

Paradox

A situation that seems self-contradictory but may contain a hidden truth.

Parallelism

The use of similar or identical language, structures, events, or ideas in different parts of a text.

Pathetic Fallacy

A figure of speech where nature is treated as having human emotions.

Personification

Giving human traits to inanimate objects or abstract concepts.

Point-of-view

The perspective from which a story is told.

Prose

Non-metrical language; the opposite of verse.

Pun

A play on words exploiting different meanings or similar sounds.

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often the one the reader identifies with.

Repetition

The repeated use of words, phrases, or structures to emphasize an idea.

Setting

The time and place in which a story occurs.

Simile

An indirect comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

Soliloquy

A device in drama where a character speaks their thoughts aloud, often to themselves.

Speaker

The voice of a poem, distinct from the poet.

Structure

The arrangement of different elements in a story.

Symbolism

The use of specific objects or images to represent abstract ideas.

Theme

The main idea or message conveyed by a literary work.

Tone

The emotional attitude of the speaker or narrative voice.

Tragedy

A dramatic genre that ends with a negative outcome due to the central character's flaw.

Tragic hero

A protagonist who meets a bad end due to a character flaw.

Tragic flaw

The personality defect that leads to a tragic hero's downfall.

Verbal Irony

A form of irony where what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

Verse

Metrical language; the opposite of prose.