Lit niche literary devices

syllepsis

When a word has two meanings, butapplies to each in a completely different sense or with a shift between literal and figurative meanings. E.g. When Hamlet tells Horatio, ‘Give me the cup! Let go! By heaven I'll have't.'- he means let go of the cup but also let go of the hope that he will live and accept his death.

metonymy

A word or phrase used to stand for a larger concept or a closely related item. E.g. when Hamlet calls death ‘sleep’

Hypophora

Raising a question and immediately answering it yourself

Metatheatre

Style of drama that self-consciously acknowledges its own artificiality and reminds the audience they are watching a staged performance. Play within a play moment.