Key Terms and Literary Devices in Romeo and Juliet

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words (from forth the fatal loins of these two foes)

Allusion

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

Aside

Words spoken by a character, usually in an undertone, not intended to be heard by other characters on stage

Blank Verse

verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter (most of Act II of Romeo and Juliet is written in blank verse)

Chorus

The actor(s) who address the audience directly and comment on the action of the play.

Comic Relief

A bit of humor injected into a serious play to relieve the heavy tension of tragic events.

Dialogue

Conversation among characters.

Double Entendre

a statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar

Drama

A literary genre that is a story acted out, usually on stage, by actors who play the various characters (actors were called players in Shakespeare's time).

Dramatic Irony

Character reveals inability to understand his/her situation. Most effective when characters make fateful choices based on information the reader realizes is correct. In other words, often when the reader/audience knows something that the characters do not.

Euphemisms

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing ("You're being let go," instead of "You're fired.")

Foil

A character who acts as a contrast to another character (they have opposing traits)

Foreshadowing

the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration for effect, not meant to be taken literally

Iambic Pentameter

a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable. Each foot has two syllables

Malopropism / DogBerryism

the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect, as in, for example, "dance a flamingo " (instead of flamenco).

Monologue

Long, uninterrupted speech spoken in the presence of characters on stage.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. (Jumbo Shrimp, Pretty Ugly)

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Prologue

A preface or introduction to a play.

Prose

written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure; ordinary language people use in speaking/writing; literary medium distinguished from poetry by its irregularity and variety of rhythm.

Pun

Humorous, clever use of a word/phrase to suggest two or more meanings at the same time.

Rhyming Couplet

Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme.

Shakespearean Sonnet

A fourteen line lyric poem of three four-line stanzas and a concluding couplet. Rhyme scheme of ABAB (first stanza/quatrain), CDCD (second stanza/quatrain), EFEF (third stanza/quatrain), GG (rhyming couplet).

Similie

comparing two things using like or as

Situational Irony

a striking reversal of what is expected or intended

Soliloquy

Words spoken by a character alone on stage, expressing his/her thoughts aloud.

Stage Directions

Words that tell the actors how to move or speak.

Tragedy

A serious play in which the characters meet with an unhappy or disastrous ending.

Tragic Flaw

A character trait that leads one to his/her own downfall or destruction.

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant (Sarcasm)