Romeo and Juliet, Sonnets, and Sentence Types Study Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Romeo and Juliet Act I notes, poetic devices, Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet forms, and sentence structures.

Conjure

To make something appear by magic (verb).

Invocation

Summoning; calling forth (noun).

Vain

Of no real value (adjective).

Discourse

Speaks (verb).

Kinsmen

Family members (noun).

Enmity

Hostility (noun).

Perjuries

Broken vows (noun).

Impute

Attribute (verb).

Adieu

Goodbye (interjection).

Procure

Cause to do something (verb).

Beseech

To ask for something in an urgent way (verb).

Predominant

Main element, strongest (adjective).

Intercession

Entreaty in favor of another (noun).

Rancour

Deep bitter anger (noun).

Drivelling

Rambling (adjective).

Commend

Entrust (verb).

Heralds

Messengers (noun).

Courtesy

Showing politeness (noun).

Confounds

Destroys (verb).

Vanity

Emptiness (noun).

Queen Mab

A fairy and queen of the fairies described by Mercutio; she brings dreams to lovers' minds and to all with deep desires, shifting from a seemingly nice figure to a violent perspective.

Foreshadow

A literary device in which authors hint at a plot development that does not actually occur until later in the story.

Pilgrim

Someone who goes on a religious journey to a holy site, such as a traveler journeying to Jerusalem.

Palmer

Someone who went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, so called because they would return carrying palm branches or leaves.

Parallelism

A figure of speech in which two or more elements of a sentence (or series of sentences) have the same grammatical structure.

Paradox

A figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason.

Suit

A request made with a view of winning a woman's affection towards marriage.

Prose

Normal paragraph formatting rather than poetry, used by Shakespeare when a speaker has low social status or when joking occurs.

Lammas-tide

A harvest celebration observed on August 1st.

Man of wax

A metaphor used by the Nurse describing Paris as beautifully designed and a perfect man, at least in appearance.

Extended metaphor

A metaphor drawn out over multiple related terms, such as Lady Capulet comparing Paris to a book using words like 'volume,' 'margent,' 'cover,' and 'golden story.'

Prologue

A separate introductory section of a literary work that provides background information and context for the main narrative, introducing themes, setting, or earlier events.

Antithesis

A figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures.

Diacope

A figure of speech where two identical words are repeated with one or a few words in between.

Star-crossed

Ill-fated; derived from the belief that the stars determined one's fate.

Alliteration

A figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, usually the initial consonant sound.

Pun

A figure of speech that plays with words that have multiple meanings, or that plays with words that sound similar but mean different things.

Shakespearean Tragedy

A type of dramatic play that typically starts with a character at a low point, rises to a high point, and ends in a downfall or tragedy (shaped like an upside-down 'U' or frown).

Shakespearean Comedy

A type of dramatic play that typically starts with a character at a high point, experiences a downfall, and returns to a high point (shaped like a 'U' or smile).

Stanza

A unit of lines in a poem, similar to paragraphs in prose, which can have any number of lines.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem strongly associated with love and romance, deriving its name from Italian and Latin meaning 'sound' or 'little sound/song.'

Octave

An eight-line stanza in a poem, notably the first stanza of a Petrarchan sonnet presenting an argument, observation, or answerable charge.

Sestet

A six-line stanza in a poem, notably the second stanza of a Petrarchan sonnet following the octave.

Quatrain

A four-line stanza in poetry.

Couplet

A two-line stanza in poetry, often playing a pivotal role at the end of a Shakespearean sonnet as a conclusion, amplification, or refutation.

Volta

A turn in thought or argument that occurs between the eighth and ninth lines of a Petrarchan sonnet.

Petrarchan Sonnet

A 14-line poem named after the poet Petrarch, divided into an octave and a sestet with a rhyme scheme of ABBA, ABBA, CDECDE, or CDCDCD.

Shakespearean Sonnet

A 14-line poem composed of three quatrains and a final couplet, following the rhyme scheme ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG.

Independent Clause

A clause that contains one or more complete thoughts or ideas and can stand alone as a sentence.

Dependent Clause

A clause that does not contain a full thought and cannot stand alone; used to support a main idea.

Simple Sentence

A sentence containing only one main thought or idea.

Compound Sentence

A sentence containing two independent clauses joined together with a coordinating conjunction.

Complex Sentence

A sentence containing one independent clause and one dependent clause joined together with a subordinating conjunction.

Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)

Conjunctions used to connect independent clauses: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Conjunctions that connect a dependent clause to an independent clause, such as after, although, because, before, if, since, unless, when, and while.

setting of Romeo and Juliet

Verona, Italy

you (Nominative)

thou, as in “thou hast risen“

you (objective)

thee, “I endow thee with mystical magical unicorn powers“

your (genitive)

thy (“thy dagger floats“)

R&J prologue

• Sonnet, 14 lines

• Rhyming = ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

• Ends w/ rhyming couplet