English Fall Exam Literary Devices/Greek Tragedy Terms

allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

allusion

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference

anaphora

repeating a sequence of words at the beginnings of neighboring clauses, thereby lending them emphasis

antecedent

The word, phrase, or clause that a pronoun refers to or replaces

apostrophe

a speaker directly addresses an absent person, a dead person, an inanimate object, or an abstract idea

Blank Verse

unrhymed poetry written in a consistent meter, most commonly iambic pentameter (ten syllables with alternating unstressed/stressed beats), mimicking natural speech while providing rhythm

Ellipsis

the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues

Iambic Pentameter

a poetic rhythm with ten syllables per line, arranged in five pairs (iambs) of unstressed followed by stressed syllables (da-DUM), mimicking a heartbeat, famously used by Shakespeare in sonnets and plays

Dramatic Irony

when the audience knows a secret the character doesn't, creating tension (we know the killer is in the house, but the character doesn't). 

verbal irony

saying the opposite of what you mean (sarcasm)

situational irony

the opposite of expected happens (a fire station burning down)

juxtaposition

placing two opposing elements close together or side by side.

metonymy

the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing. a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept.

monologue

a long speech by one person, delivered to other characters or the audience

mood

the feeling or atmosphere evoked in the reader

motif

a recurring element (idea, image, sound, pattern) in an artwork, literature, or music that helps develop a central theme

paradox

a statement, idea, or situation that seems contradictory or absurd but reveals a deeper, often surprising truth, or involves two opposite elements existing together

prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

soliloquy

a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud, usually when alone on stage, revealing their true feelings to the audience, who are meant to hear but other characters are not

symbol

a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team”). a part represents the whole (e.g., "wheels" for a car) or the whole represents a part (e.g., "The White House" for the U.S. government), creating vivid imagery by focusing on a component to signify the entirety, like using "hands" for workers or "bread" for food/sustenance

theme

the central, underlying idea, message, or universal truth explored in a work of art, literature, or discussion, like love, courage, or loss

tone

the author's attitude towards the subject

understatement

a figure of speech where something is described as less important or serious than it actually is, often for ironic or humorous effect, serving as the opposite of hyperbole

Zeugma/ Syllepsis

figures of speech where one word (usually a verb or adjective) governs two or more others in a sentence, but they differ in their grammatical or semantic fit. (You held your breath and the door for me)

arete

Greek concept meaning "excellence" or "virtue," referring to the full realization of potential

catharsis

(from Greek for "purification" or "cleansing") is the emotional release and purging of pity and fear experienced by the audience at the play's conclusion, providing a sense of renewal and emotional resolution after witnessing the hero's suffering and downfall

Deus Ex Machina

(Latin for "God from the machine") is a Greek tragedy term for a plot device where an unsolvable problem is suddenly resolved by an unexpected, often divine, intervention

Hubris

excessive pride, arrogance, or defiance against the gods, leading to a character's downfall

Tragic Hero

a noble, admirable character with a fatal flaw (hamartia), usually pride (hubris), whose poor judgment or error leads to their downfall, evoking pity and fear (catharsis) in the audience