Romeo & Juliet Literary Terms

Vocabulary flashcards identifying key literary terms, character types, and poetic devices mentioned in the Romeo & Juliet lecture notes.

Protagonist

Main character in a story.

Antagonist

Character or force opposing the protagonist.

Characterization

How an author develops a character.

Character

A person in a story or play.

Flat Character

Simple character with few traits.

Round Character

Complex, realistic character.

Static Character

Character who does not change.

Dynamic Character

Character who changes during the story.

Foil

Character who contrasts another character.

Internal Conflict

Struggle inside a character.

External Conflict

Struggle with outside forces.

Direct Characterization

Author directly tells traits.

Indirect Characterization

Traits shown through actions, speech, or thoughts.

Setting

Time and place of a story.

Theme

Main message or lesson.

Motif

Repeated idea, image, or symbol.

Plot

Sequence of events in a story.

Exposition

Introduction of characters and setting.

Rising Action

Events building tension.

Climax

Turning point of the story.

Falling Action

Events after the climax.

Resolution / Denouement

Ending where conflicts are solved.

Mood

Feeling created for the reader.

Tone

Author’s attitude toward the subject.

Foreshadowing

Hint about future events.

Flashback

Scene from the past.

Point of View

Perspective the story is told from.

First-Person POV

Narrator uses “I.”

Third-Person Limited

Narrator knows one character’s thoughts.

Third-Person Omniscient

Narrator knows all characters’ thoughts.

Objective POV

Narrator only shows actions/dialogue.

Figurative Language

Creative language with deeper meaning.

Simile

Comparison using “like” or “as.”

Metaphor

Direct comparison without “like” or “as.”

Personification

Giving human traits to nonhuman things.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration.

Allusion

Reference to another text, history, or myth.

Symbol

Object representing deeper meaning.

Alliteration

Repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds.

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds.

Dramatic Irony

Audience knows more than characters.

Verbal Irony

Saying the opposite of what is meant.

Situational Irony

Outcome opposite of expectations.

Prologue

Introduction at the beginning of a play.

Tragedy

Serious story ending in disaster.

Apostrophe

Speaking to someone absent or nonhuman.

Oxymoron

Opposite words together. Example: 'Sweet sorrow'

Paradox

Contradictory statement that contains truth.

Pun

Joke using wordplay.

Epithet

Descriptive nickname or title.

Sonnet

14-line poem.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Prose

Ordinary writing/speech without meter.

Soliloquy

Character speaking thoughts alone on stage.

Monologue

Long speech by one character.

Iambic Pentameter

10-syllable heartbeat rhythm.

Couplet

Two rhyming lines.

Conceit

Extended metaphor.

Aside

Short comment heard only by audience.

Direct Address

Speaking directly to someone or the audience.