Macbeth Critical Terms

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely situated wordsused to create rhythm or emphasis in poetry and prose.

Allusion

Reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that is not explicitly mentioned but is implied, enhancing meaning or context in a text.

Aside

A dramatic device where a character speaks to the audience, revealing thoughts or feelings while other characters on stage are not meant to hear.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter often used in drama.

Caesura

A pause or break in a line of poetry, often occurring in the middle of a verse, which can emphasize meaning and rhythm.

Comic Relief

A literary device that introduces a humorous character or situation into a serious work, providing the audience with a momentary break from tension.

Dialogue

A conversation between two or more characters in a literary work, particularly in plays, used to develop characters and advance the plot.

Dramatic Irony

A situation in a play where the audience knows more about the events unfolding than the characters, creating tension and humor.

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza in poetry.

Equivocate

To use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself.

Foil

A character that contrasts with another character, typically the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character.

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence that leads to a character's downfall.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Iambic Parameter

A metrical foot used in poetry consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, often employed in Shakespearean verse.

Meter

A rhythmic structure in poetry, consisting of patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Monologue

A prolonged speech by a single character in a play or narrative, often revealing inner thoughts and feelings.

Paradox

a statement that contradicts itself but may reveal a deeper truth.

Personification

A literary device where human traits and qualities are attributed to non-human entities or inanimate objects.

Prophecy/Prohetic

A statement or prediction about the future, often conveyed by supernatural means in literature, particularly as seen in Shakespeare's plays.

Prose

a form of written or spoken language without metrical structure, commonly used in everyday speech and literature.

Soliloquy

A dramatic device where a character speaks their thoughts aloud to the audience, often revealing inner emotions and motives.

Stage Directions

Instructions in a script that describe the actions, movements, or setting of characters during a performance.

Thane

a title of nobility in Scotland

Thrust Stage

A type of stage that extends into the audience, allowing for close viewing and interaction.

Trochaic Tetrameter

a metric line consisting of four trochees, commonly used in Shakespearean verse to create a rhythmic pattern.

Tragic Hero

a noble character who experiences a downfall due to a tragic flaw.

Verse

a form of writing that uses a rhythmic structure, often employed in poetry and dramatic works like Shakespeare's plays.