Poetry, Julius Caesar, and Much Ado About Nothing Lecture Review

150 vocabulary flashcards covering poems, literary terms, the Rhetorical Triangle, and Shakespeare's works.

So you want to be a writer?

A poem by Charles Buckowski that cautions the reader not to write without an overwhelming passion, or the work will be boring and forced.

The Poet

A poem by Jane Hirshfield that highlights the process and setting of a writer and describes poetry as a necessary form of self-expression.

Introduction to Poetry

A poem by Billy Collins where the poet wants readers to feel, see, and understand poetry rather than just analyzing it for one specific answer.

You, Reader

A poem by Billy Collins highlighting different perspectives and interpretations between the reader and the author.

I met a genius

A poem by Charles Bukowski noted for its stacked word structure which emphasizes certain words to give character and meaning.

Barbie Doll

A poem by Marge Piercy that uses the metaphor of a girl dying to emphasize the negative effects of social beauty standards.

Fan belt symbol

In Barbie Doll, this represents the girl wearing out from trying to keep up with societal expectations, similar to a car part failing.

Anonymous submission

A collection of thoughts from many people regarding things that often go unsaid.

Those Winter Sundays

A poem by Robert Hayden about a girl’s eventual appreciation for the unrecognized sacrifices her father made for her.

Still I Rise

A poem by Maya Angelou where she uses physical comparisons like gold mines and diamonds to show her resilience and freedom.

The History Teacher

A poem by Billy Collins about protecting children's innocence by not telling the truth, which ultimately leads to a cycle of ignorance and violence.

Paper Bag

A poem by Fiona Apple that uses assonance, rhyme scheme, and internal rhyme to describe a craving for reciprocated love.

Dove of hope

A symbol in Fiona Apple's Paper Bag likely associated with dying hope because doves can also symbolize death.

Hannah Hunt

A poem by Vampire Weekend about a road trip involving a couple with dying love and a lack of trust.

Cath..

A poem about a woman in an unwanted relationship who wears a fake smile and feels unsure or untrue to herself.

Shes American

A song/poem by The 1975 criticizing stereotypical American teenagers, gun violence, and unrealistic societal standards.

American Teenager

A poem by Ethel Cain with a southern view on teenage culture, mentioning southern racing culture and a disconnect from religion.

Aliteration

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Allusion

A brief indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work.

Apostrophe

A direct address to an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate objects.

Assonance

The repetition of similar internal vowel sounds in nearby words.

Caesura

A dramatic, structural pause or break allowing for reflection or dramatic tension within a single line.

Consonance

The repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds within nearby words.

Couplet

A pair of consecutive lines that rhyme.

Dramatic poetry

Poetry meant to be spoken or acted, focusing on dramatic action rather than description.

End rhyme

Words at the end of a line of poetry that rhyme.

Enjambment

A phrase that has a sudden break with no terminal punctuation.

Figurative language

Language that elevates words beyond their literal meanings.

Free verse

A form of poetry that rejects strict, traditional patterns of rhyme.

Hyperbole

The use of extreme intentional exaggeration to emphasize a point.

Imagery

The use of vivid descriptive language to evoke the five senses.

Internal rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a single line or verse multiple times.

Lyric poetry

A formal type of poetry expressing personal, intense emotions or thoughts, typically melodic.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly equates two unlike things to create vivid imagery.

Onomatopeia

Words that imitate natural sounds, enhancing sensory imagery.

Personification

Attributing human traits, emotions, or actions to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract concepts.

Refrain

A repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song.

Rhyme scheme

The pattern of rhymes at the end of lines in a poem, represented by letters.

Simile

A comparison using like or as.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and structure, ending with a rhyming couplet.

Stanza

A group of lines in a poem.

Synesthesia

Describing one sense using words normally associated with another sense.

Tone

The speaker's attitude towards the subject or the audience.

Lord Chamberlain’s Men

The acting troupe Shakespeare belonged to during the Elizabethan Era.

Opposition to theater

Elizabethan views that acting was against religion, especially because of actors dressing as other genders and performing fictional events.

Theater Economics

Shakespeare's company maximized profits because they owned their theater and did not have to pay rent.

Crossing the Rubicon

Julius Caesar's action of crossing the river with his army, effectively declaring war on Pompey and Rome.

Feathers plucked from Caesar's wing

A metaphor used by Flavius to describe removing Caesar's decorations to keep him grounded and prevent him from rising too high.

Lupercal Holiday

A Roman celebration of spring and fertility held in March.

Cassius's Motivation

He disapproves of Caesar and blames the weak Roman people for allowing Caesar to dominate them.

Caesar's Distrust of Cassius

Caesar distrusts him because he thinks too much, making him dangerous to a ruler.

The Serpent's Egg

Brutus's metaphor comparing Caesar to a snake that should be killed in the shell before it hatches and becomes mischievous.

Rejecting the Killing of Antony

Brutus argues that killing Antony would look too bloody and believes Antony is just a limb that is powerless without the head, Caesar.

The fault in our stars quote

Cassius's famous line: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Artemidorus’s Warning

A written warning to Caesar that explicitly named the conspirators, which Caesar tragically ignored.

Caesar's Physical Flaw

He is deaf in his left ear, symbolized by Shakespeare to show Caesar is metaphorically deaf to warnings around him.

Calpurnia's Dream

A dream of a statue pouring blood while Romans bathe in it, which she interpreted as a warning of Caesar's death.

Decius's Manipulation

He reinterprets Calpurnia's dream to mean Rome will derive sustaining life and honor from Caesar, appealing to Caesar's pride.

Epicurean philosophy

A philosophy Cassius originally followed that viewed omens as mere superstition.

Cassius's Change of Mind

Late in the play, Cassius begins to believe in omens due to the grim reality of the war after the assassination.

Mark Antony's Funeral Oration

A speech where Antony claims to be a plain blunt man to manipulate the crowd's emotions and incite them against the conspirators.

The Deed

The assassination of Julius Caesar in the Senate by a group of conspirators who believed his ambition would destroy the Republic.

Et tu, Brute?

Caesar's famous last words to Brutus, expressing betrayal by a close friend.

The Riot

The event following Antony's speech where the mob becomes furious and forces Brutus and Cassius to flee Rome.

The Triumvirate

The side of the civil war consisting of Mark Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus.

The Conspirators

The side of the civil war consisting of Brutus and Cassius.

The Argument at Sardis

A massive fight between Brutus and Cassius in a tent over accusations of bribery and feeling unappreciated.

Portia's Suicide

Brutus's wife killed herself in Rome by swallowing hot coals out of grief and fear of Antony's power.

The Ghost of Julius Caesar

An apparition that tells Brutus, Thou shalt see me at Philippi, foreshadowing Brutus's doom.

Battle of Philippi

The climax of the play occurring on the plains of Philippi in modern-day Greece.

Cassius's Death

He orders Pindarus to stab him after mistakenly believing his friend Titinius had been captured.

Brutus’s Death

He commits suicide by running onto his sword held by his servant, Strato, to avoid being paraded as a prisoner.

Casca's tone

Sarcastic, blunt, and cynical; he mocks others and speaks the line, Speak, hands, for me!

Portia's tone

Intense, loyal, and desperate for equality, demanding Brutus treat her as a true partner.

Calpurnia's tone

Terrified and superstitious, focused entirely on nightmares and bad omens.

The Soothsayer's tone

Creepy, brief, and cryptic; famous for the warning: Beware the Ides of March.

Mark Antony's tone

Poetic, dramatic, and vengeful; uses heavy sarcasm when calling the killers honorable men.

Brutus's tone

Calm, logical, and formal; focused on abstract ideals like honor, virtue, and justice.

Cassius's tone

Bitter, passionate, and deeply personal; focused on reality, power, and grudges.

Octavius's tone

Cold, short, and bossy; focuses on giving orders to win the war.

Julius Caesar's tone

Arrogant, god-like, and fearless; often talks about himself in the third person.

The Noblest Roman of them all

Antony's final tribute to Brutus, acknowledging he was the only conspirator who acted out of honest love for Rome.

Blank Verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Iambic Pentameter

A line consisting of 5 metrical feet, following a pattern of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

Aside

A brief comment a character makes to the audience or another character that others on stage supposedly cannot hear.

Soliloquy

A long speech by a character alone on stage, revealing their innermost thoughts.

Monologue

A long, uninterrupted speech spoken by one character to other characters on stage.

Tragedy

A drama where a high-ranking character struggles against hardship and ends in disaster, ruin, or death.

Tragic Flaw

A specific character weakness or error in judgment that causes the main character's downfall.

Dramatic Irony

A device where the audience knows something important that the characters on stage do not realize.

Ethos

A rhetorical appeal to ethics, credibility, or authority; establishes why the audience should trust the speaker.

Pathos

A rhetorical appeal to human emotion, evoking feelings like pity or sadness to move the audience.

Logos

A rhetorical appeal to logic, rational thinking, evidence, and clear reasoning.

Beatrice on Beards

She refuses to marry a man with a beard because it is scratchy, and refuses a man without one because he looks less than a man.

Hero vs. Beatrice motivations

Hero acts to please others and conform to society, while Beatrice acts to please herself and maintain independence.

Benedick on marrying Beatrice

He would not marry her even if she were endowed with all that Adam had before he transgressed.

Beatrice's insult of Benedick

She calls him the prince's jester and a dull fool behind his back.

The Oyster Metaphor

Benedick fears love will transform him into an oyster, meaning he will lose his freedom and be locked in a shell.

Benedick's Ideal Woman

A checklist requiring a wife to be beautiful, wise, virtuous, a musician, and good at conversation.

Hey Nonny Nonny

A song by Balthasar that mirrors the play's themes of male infidelity and deception.