Literary Terms

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly describes one object by stating that it is another, unlike object, without using 'like' or 'as.' Example: 'The world is a stage.'

Tenor

The subject or thing being described in a metaphor. Example: In 'The world is a stage,' the tenor is 'world.'

Vehicle

The object whose characteristics are used to describe the tenor in a metaphor. Example: In 'The world is a stage,' the vehicle is 'stage.'

Personification

Giving human characteristics to something that is not human. Example: 'The wind whispered.'

Simile

A figure of speech that indirectly compares two fundamentally unlike things, often using 'like' or 'as.' Example: 'He ran like a gazelle.'

Metonymy

The comparison—or describing one thing as another—of unlike things based on their proximity. Example: 'The crown issued a decree.'

Synecdoche

A subset of metonymy that uses the part to describe the whole, or the whole to describe the part. Example: 'Wheels' to mean 'car.'

Allusion

A brief reference to a cultural, mythological, or historical person, place, thing, or idea which invokes the context without explicitly spelling it out. Example: 'He was a real Romeo.'

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that has two contradicting words appearing side by side. Example: 'bitter sweet.'

Pun

The humorous use of a word, or of two similar sounding words, in such a way to suggest two or more meanings. Example: 'A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two tired.'

Anaphora

The repetition of words or phrases at the beginnings of successive sentences, clauses, or poetic lines. Example: 'We shall fight. We shall overcome.'

Alliteration

The repetition of a consonant sound at the beginnings of words within a close proximity of each other. Example: 'silly snakes.'

Rhyme

Identical or similar sounds are repeated in the last stressed syllable and all following syllables of a word or words. Example: 'cat/hat.'

Masculine Rhyme

A rhyme of just 1 syllable. Example: 'light/night.'

Feminine Rhyme

A rhyme of more than 1 syllable. Example: 'flowing/knowing.'

Rhyming Couplets

A pair of consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme with each other. Example: 'The sun is hot, the day is done.'

Iambic Pentameter

A line or verse composed of ten syllables per line, with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables. Example: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?'

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter. Example: Many of Shakespeare's plays.

Soliloquy

A speech when a character speaks to themself, sharing inner thoughts and feelings. Example: Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' speech.

Aside

Brief passage addressed to the audience, not meant to be heard by other characters. Example: A quick comment to the audience.

Irony

A gap between appearance and reality, or expectation and event. Example: A fire station burning down.

Dramatic Irony

Audience knows something characters do not. Example: Audience knows a killer is hiding, but the character does not.

Comic Relief

Moments of humor in a serious situation to ease tension. Example: A humorous character in a tragedy.

Hamartia

Tragic flaw (fatal flaw). Example: Macbeth's ambition.

Peripeteia

Sudden, unexpected turn of events. Example: A sudden reversal of fortune.

Anagnorisis

Movement from ignorance to knowledge; discovery or recognition. Example: A character discovering a hidden truth.

Catharsis

Purging emotions (pity and fear) leading to release and renewal. Example: Emotional release at a play's end.

Freytag’s Pyramid

A dramatic structure with: Exposition (setting the scene), Rising Action (building tension), Climax (peak of tension), Falling Action (easing tension), Catastrophe/Denouement (resolution).

Verse vs. Prose