Shakespeare Key Terms and Techniques Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for key terms and literary techniques related to Shakespearean plays.

Allegory

A story used to convey a hidden meaning, typically moral or political, about real-world events or issues.

Allusion

An indirect reference to another event, person or work which the writer assumes the reader is familiar with.

Archetype

The first real example or prototype of something; an ideal model or the perfect image of something.

Bathos

An anti-climax which is abrupt; usually humour that comes from an odd and sudden change in tone.

Biblical

Language that relates to the bible and thus has religious connotations.

Blazon

A poem in which the speaker describes a woman’s physique by focusing on and listing various individual parts of a woman’s body.

Caricature

An imitation where particular notable characteristics are exaggerated to a comic or grotesque effect.

Colloquialism

An informal word or phrase used in normal or familiar conversation.

Comic Relief

Relief from tension caused by the introduction of a comedic element.

Connotation

An impression, idea, or feeling associated with a word or phase beyond its literal meaning.

Dichotomy

A division or contrast between two opposed things.

Double Entendre

Words or phrases that have a double meaning and is deliberately ambiguous, especially when one of the meanings is risqué.

Dysphemism

The substitution of a more offensive term for one considered less so.

Epithet

A word or phrase applied to a person to describe an actual or credited quality.

Epitome

A perfect example of a specific quality.

Epizeuxis

The repetition of words in succession within the same sentence.

Euphemism

The substitution of a harmless term for one that is considered as offensively risqué or explicit.

Extended Metaphor

A metaphor that continues over many sentences and could even extend throughout the entire play.

Foreshadowing

A device in which an author suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the play.

Grotesque

Ugly and distorted, physically or figuratively, in a way that is comic or repulsive.

Hyperbole

An extravagant exaggeration of fact, used either for serious or comic effect.

Ideology

A system of beliefs and ideals, typically forming a framework for a political policy or a religion.

Imagery

Use of language which is visually descriptive or symbolic.

Irony

The use of words where the meaning is contrary to what is expected to actually occur.

Juxtaposition

A literary technique that places two opposing words, phrases or events side by side, often for the main purpose of comparing or contrasting them.

Manifestation

A physical expression or realisation of an abstract idea through a character, object, place, or event.

Motif

An element that reoccurs, such as a word, phrase, idea, image, action, character or symbol that appears throughout the play for emphasis.

Oxymoron

A form of paradox that combines a pair of contrasting terms into a single, sometimes unique expression.

Parable

A story used to teach a moral or spiritual lesson, typically told in the Bible by Jesus.

Pathetic Fallacy

When human emotions or characteristics are given to objects, nature or the weather.

Personification

Giving something non-human a human trait, capability, or personality.

Pun

A play on words which suggests multiple meanings.

Satire

The use of humour, irony or exaggeration to ridicule and criticize an individual’s stupidity.

Semantic Field

When a writer employs multiple words which are similar and thus group together under one sub-heading.

Sibilance

The repetition of ‘s’ sounds close together.

Simile

Comparing something to something else in a nonliteral way, in order to convey a particular idea or quality of the original thing.

Symbolism

Using one object or character to expose a broader idea running throughout the play.

Trope

A particular type of character, event, or setting that is used frequently in stories.

Zoomorphism

Imagery representing animal forms.

Anaphora

Repeating a sequence of words at the beginning of adjacent clauses.

Antithesis

Parallel structure that uses opposites to create emphasis.

Aside

A part of an actor’s lines that are not meant to be heard by other characters on stage and intended only for the audience; a short digression.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter.

Couplet

A rhymed pair of lines.

Cyclical

When the same sequence of events repeats throughout a story.

Dramatic Irony

When a character shows that they are oblivious of the reality of which the audience is aware.

Dramatic Monologue

A passage of speech in which one person is speaking to an audience or “thinking out loud”.

Epistrophe

When the same word (or group of words) is employed at the end of successive sentences with the aim of emphasising it.

Exposition

Information provided through stage directions, narration, dialogue, or description, used to introduce the audience to crucial background information.

Heroic Couplet

The last two lines of a Shakespearean Sonnet - a couplet of rhyming iambic pentameter.

Iambic Pentameter

A sentence (10 syllables in total) which is composed of two syllables: the first unstressed; the second stressed.

In Media Res

Starting in the middle of the action.

Microcosm

Using a place, group of people, or event in the small-scale to represent something much larger.

Paradox

A statement that seems to contradict itself but is still true.

Parallelism

Using components that are similar in grammar, structure, or meaning within a sentence or multiple sentences, or throughout the text as a whole

Refrain

A word, phrase, or sentence that is repeated throughout a text.

Soliloquy

A dramatic device whereby a character stands alone on stage and addresses the audience, giving voice to their deepest thoughts and feelings.

Sonnet Form

A highly stylized form of poetry, with 14 lines written in iambic pentameter.

Stichomythia

A dialogue between two characters who speak one after the other.

Anagnorisis

A moment in a play when a character makes a critical discovery, such as the tragic hero’s sudden awareness of a real situation usually as a result of their downfall.

Antagonist

A character who actively opposes or is hostile to another character, particularly the protagonist.

Catharsis

The process of letting go of or providing liberation from, strong or suppressed emotions.

Conscience

A moral sense of right and wrong that guides a character’s behaviour.

Foil

A character with qualities that are in contrast with another character.

Hamartia

A character’s tragic flaw.

Hubris

An exaggerated self-pride or self-confidence which often leads to a fatal retaliation.

Peripeteia

A sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal.

Protagonist

The leading character in the play.

Tragic Hero

A character who is usually depicted as perfect and honourable yet has one ‘fatal flaw’ or hamartia.

Arthurian Legend

The stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, popular for how they celebrate chivalry and patriotism.

Autonomy

The right and ability to be able to govern yourself, including your actions and decisions.

Code of Chivalry

The moral, religious, and social code of Medieval knights, including bravery, honour, and courtesy.

Convention

The traditional way of doing things.

Dehumanise

Denying someone their humanity, including their emotions and independent thought.

Divine Order/Great Chain of Being

The belief in Medieval Christianity that all life and matter on Earth was organised into a hierarchy by God.

Divine Right of Kings

The belief in Christianity that the monarch of a country is chosen by God Himself to be His representative on Earth.

Facade

A front or mask that is put up to disguise something or someone’s true character.

Fate

The development of events outside an individuals’ control, it is sometimes said to be determined by a supernatural power.

Globe Theatre

A theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare where all of Shakespeare’s plays were performed.

Heathen

Someone who isn’t a Christian, particularly someone who is pagan or lacks moral principles.

Infallible

Never failing, incapable of making mistakes.

Melodrama

A dramatic piece that includes exaggerated characters and exciting events.

Misogyny

Hatred, contempt, or prejudice towards women for no reason other than their gender.

Morality

Principles, either personal or social, concerning the difference between right and wrong, going beyond legality and often religion.

Mythology

A collection of stories, especially belonging to a particular religion or culture such as the Ancient Greeks, that teach moral lessons or explain aspects of our world.

Nihilism

Believing life is pointless and meaningless.

Paganism

A non-Christian or pre-Christian religion, particularly nature worship

Patriarchy

A system of society whereby men have ultimate authority which they use to oppress women who are largely excluded from the male dominated society.

Prejudice

Having a negative view or opinion of someone that is not based on experience or logic.

Remorse

The feeling of intense regret and guilt for doing a bad deed.

Repent

To feel or/and express great regret for sinning or committing a crime, particularly in a religious context.

Stereotype

A view or preconception of a person or thing that is fixed and oversimplified, held by most of a population.

The Gunpowder Plot

An assassination attempt on the King of England, King James I, in 1605, where a group of Catholics tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder.

The Renaissance

A period of time from the 14th to 17th century where artists, writers, and philosophers revisited the works of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Toxic Masculinity

The concept that traditional male gender roles restrict emotion in men while encouraging negative, often violent traits.

Tragedy

A branch of drama that usually depicts the downfall and the reversal of fortune of a good person; suffering usually awaits many of the characters, especially the tragic hero.

Vice

A behaviour or trait that is immoral.

Virtue

A behaviour or trait that is moral.