mp2 lit terms

allusion

a figure of speech that makes a reference to someone or something w/o explaining it

aside

a speech or comment delivered directly to an audience or other characters while other characters are present and can’t hear it

blank verse

poetry written in metrical but unrhymed lines, most commonly in iambic pentameter

soliloquy

a speech in drama where a character speaks their thoughts aloud to the audience when they are alone, longer than aside

sonnet

a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter

monologue

a speech given by a single character, can be addressed to other characters or the audience

dramatic irony

when the audience knows something that a character doesn’t

foil

a character whose purpose is to accentuate/draw attention to qualities of another character by juxtaposing/contrasting with them

greek comedy

a play that made people laugh, mainly satirical and mocked men in power

greek tragedy

a play where the protagonist falls to disaster thru personal failings and circumstances they cannot deal w/, unhappy ending and death

iambic pentameter

line of verse composed of 5 metrical feet, each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (du-DUM), easier to remember

deus ex machina

when a hopeless situation is suddenly solved by an unexpected occurrence

hamartia

a character’s tragic flaw that leads to their downfall, also known as tragic flaw

pun

a literary device that plays w/ the sounds and meanings of words

protagonist

main character

antagonist

villain/opponent of main character

paradox

a statement that contradicts itself, seemingly illogical, forcing the reader to consider it deeper than face value to make it make sense

oxymoron

words/phrases that when placed together create paradoxes/contradictions

dialogue

conversation, any case of 2 or more characters speaking to each other directly

greek chorus

a group of performers that together comment on a story, voice of the audience

anachronism

a chronological inconsistency, when something is placed in a time period it doesn’t belong in

comic relief

literary device that introduces humor between tragic scenes, often to relieve tension

foreshadowing

a literary device that suggests/hints to the audience about the future

prologue

an introductory scene at the beginning of a literary work separate from the main narrative

playwright

a person who writes plays

denouement

point in a story where all the conflicts have been solved and all the questions have been answered

enjambment

the continuation of a sentence w/o a pause beyond the end of a line

consonance

repetition of similar consonant sounds within a phrase or sentence

assonance

repetition of similar vowel sounds within a phrase or sentence

syntax

the arrangement of words in a sentence