Terms To Know For "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet" Test.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in adjacent or nearby words.

Aside

This is a character’s remark, either to the audience or to another character, that others on stage are not supposed to hear. Its purpose, too, is to reveal the character’s private thoughts. A stage direction, usually in brackets or parentheses, indicates when this is being made. These are spoken to the audience unless the stage directions say otherwise. 

Analogy

A comparison between two dissimilar things to explain an unfamiliar concept or idea by relating it to something familiar, thus enhancing understanding and creating vivid imagery.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds.

Blank Verse

Poetry that is unrhymed but follows a regular meter, most commonly iambic pentameter, which is a rhythmic pattern of five unstressed/stressed syllable pairs per line.

Chorus

A group of performers, or sometimes a single character, who comment on the main action of a play, often providing context, summary, and commentary for the audience.

Comic Relief

In his tragedies, Shakespeare often includes this, a humorous scene, incident, or speech that relieves the overall emotional intensity. By providing contrast, this helps the audience to absorb the earlier events in the plot and get ready for the ones to come. Shakespeare also had a practical reason for including comedy in his tragedies. Theater companies in his day liked to use all of their star performers in each play, including those who specialized in comedy roles. 

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in words.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two unlikely things.

Simile

A comparison between two unlikely things, using the words “like” or “as”

Pun

A play on words; can be on different meanings of the same word or on the similar sense or sound of different words.

Hyperbole

A exaggerated statement used to emphasize and idea or to make a point.

Oxymoron

When incongruous or contradictory terms appear adjacent to one another.

Paradox

A statement that contradicts itself, or that must be true and untrue at the same time.

Soliloquy

This is a speech that a character gives when he or she is alone on stage. Its purpose is to let the audience know what the character is thinking. 

Dramatic Monologue

A poem or speech where a character speaks to an imagined listener, revealing their thoughts, emotions, and motivations.

Monologue

 A long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program.

Verbal Irony

Using language in an indirect, non-literal manner, with an intended meaning that is different from (and often opposite to) the literal meanings of the words.

Situational Irony

Occurs when an event unfolds in a way that is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate, often creating a humorous or tragic effect.

Dramatic Irony

Occurs when the audience or reader knows something that a character in a story, play, or film doesn't, creating suspense or humor as the audience anticipates the character's inevitable realization or downfall.

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, for example Two households, both alike in dignity.