Poetry terms

personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea

alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds

assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

end rhyme

when a poem has lines ending with words that sound the same

internal rhyme

A word inside a line rhymes with another word on the same line

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

rhyme scheme

A regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem

imagery

Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

exeunt

exit

tragedy

a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.

foil

A character who is in most ways opposite to the main character (protagonist) or one who is nearly the same as the protagonist.

Soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself

foreshadowing

A warning or indication of a future event

scene

a division of an act into smaller parts

act

A major division of a play

stage directions

instructions for actors and stage crew, usually set in italics