Macbeth- Background and Literary Terms

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Last updated 9:27 PM on 5/27/26
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20 Terms

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Aside

a short speech directed to the audience or another character that is not heard by the other characters on stage

<p>a short speech directed to the audience or another character that is not heard by the other characters on stage</p>
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Blank verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter

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Comic relief

humorous scenes included in a serious drama to provide a reduction in emotional intensity; it breaks the tension and prepares the audience for events to come

<p>humorous scenes included in a serious drama to provide a reduction in emotional intensity; it breaks the tension and prepares the audience for events to come</p>
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Dramatic irony

when the reader or viewer knows something that the character does not

<p>when the reader or viewer knows something that the character does not</p>
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Foreshadowing

a writer's use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in the story

<p>a writer's use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in the story</p>
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Tragedy

a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character

<p>a dramatic work that presents the downfall of a dignified character</p>
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Monologue

(n.) a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person

<p>(n.) a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person</p>
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Soliloquy

a speech in a dramatic work in which a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud; the purpose is to reveal a character's inner thoughts, feelings, and plans

<p>a speech in a dramatic work in which a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud; the purpose is to reveal a character's inner thoughts, feelings, and plans</p>
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Sonnet

a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, typically having ten syllables per line

<p>a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, typically having ten syllables per line</p>
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Tragic flaw

the defect that brings about or contributes to the tragic hero's downfall

<p>the defect that brings about or contributes to the tragic hero's downfall</p>
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Tragic hero

a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction

<p>a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction</p>
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Iambic pentameter

the most common meter used in English poetry; a metrical pattern of five feet

<p>the most common meter used in English poetry; a metrical pattern of five feet</p>
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Verbal irony

when a writer or character says something but means another

<p>when a writer or character says something but means another</p>
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Holinshed's Chronicles

The source of the play; a history of the UK

<p>The source of the play; a history of the UK</p>
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James I/ VI

English and Scottish king who commissioned Shakespeare to write the play

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Great Chain of Being

a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God.

<p>a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by God.</p>
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Divine Right of Kings

the belief that kings were chosen and received their power from God

<p>the belief that kings were chosen and received their power from God</p>
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The Gunpowder Plot

a conspiracy in 1605 in England to blow up James I and the Houses of Parliament to avenge the persecution of Catholics

<p>a conspiracy in 1605 in England to blow up James I and the Houses of Parliament to avenge the persecution of Catholics</p>
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Equivocation

the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth

<p>the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth</p>
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The Daemonology

James' treatise on sorcery and witchcraft