Shakespearean Tragedy Terms

Shakespearean tragedy

A story of exceptional calamity, leading to the death of a man of high estate.

Tragic dilemma

Those with good intentions who deceive themselves into believing that noble ideals justify any means used no matter how violent.

Tragic hero

A tragic hero has the potential for greatness, but is doomed to fail. (He is trapped in a situation where he cannot win. He possesses a tragic flaw and this causes his fall from greatness. Even though he is a fallen hero, he still wins an oral victory, and his spirit lives on.)

Tragic heroes

Born into nobility; men of rank

Are exceptional human beings-NOT ordinary

Responsible for their own fate

Endowed with a tragic flaw

Doomed to make a serious error in judgement

Eventually, all Tragic Heroes:

Fall from great heights or high esteem

Realize they have made an irreversible mistake

Face and accept death with honor

Meet a tragic death (usually suicide)

Drama

A story written to be performed by actors; script is made up of dialogue and stage directions

Exposition

Introduction that sets the tone; introduces the characters, setting, and main conflict

Rising action

Complication of the conflict building to the climax

Climax

Moment when the fortunes of the main characters peak

Falling action

Shows forces acting against the main characters

Resolution/Catastrophe

Where the deaths of the main characters occur and loose ends are tied up

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks thoughts aloud, alone on stage

Monologue

A long uninterrupted speech given by one character in the presence of others

Aside

A whisper made by one character that only the audience or another character is supposed to hear

Dramatic foil

A character whose qualities contrast with another characters to highlight the difference in their personalities

Comic relief

The inclusion of humorous scenes in a serious drama to relieve emotional intensity

Simile

A comparison between two things using “like” or “as”

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two things

Dramatic irony

When words or actions of the character(s) of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the other characters. This is the result of the reader having knowledge or information that the other characters do not have

Situational irony

The contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens

Verbal irony

The use of language to express opposite of its literal meaning

Paradox

A contradictory statement that appears to be true

Personification

Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects

Pun

A play on words based on different meanings of words that sound alike

Foreshadowing

When an author gives hints of clues of what is to come

Allusion

A reference to a well-known piece of art, literature, music, mythology etc. (something the author expects the reader to recognize.)