Honors ELA Star Wars--Romeo and Juliet Test Terms

This is a Knowt to help you study for your Romeo and Juliet Test!

Analogy

A comparison between two things to explain or clarify something by showing how they are similar in certain ways. For example, comparing a heart to a pump helps explain how it circulates blood in the body.

Aliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of words that are close together. Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event. In Romeo and Juliet, for example, there are allusions to Greek mythology.

Aside

A brief remark by a character that is meant to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage. It gives insight into the character's thoughts.

Blank Verse

Unrhymed iambic pentameter (a rhythmic pattern of ten syllables per line). Shakespeare often uses this for his serious or important characters.

Catastrophe

The final resolution or tragic conclusion of a story, especially in tragedies like Romeo and Juliet. In this case, it’s the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.

Chorus

A group of characters who comment on the action of the play, sometimes giving background information or foreshadowing events.

Climax

The turning point of the story, where the tension reaches its peak. In Romeo and Juliet, this is when Romeo kills Tybalt.

Comedy

A play that has a happy ending, often involving misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and humorous situations. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, but many of Shakespeare’s other works are comedies.

Complication

A conflict or problem that arises in the story, making things more difficult for the characters to resolve.

Couplet

Two lines of verse that rhyme and have the same meter. Shakespeare often uses them at the end of scenes.

Double Entendre

A phrase with two meanings, often one innocent and one sexual or humorous. Shakespeare loved using these in his plays.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something that the characters do not. In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet isn’t really dead, but Romeo doesn’t.

Enter

A stage direction that indicates a character’s entrance.

Epilogue

A concluding section of a play, often a speech or a comment on the events that have just unfolded. *The Prince’s speech to the Capulets and Montagues

Exeunt

A stage direction meaning "they exit," usually referring to multiple characters leaving the stage.

Exposition

The introduction of the story, where the background information, setting, and main characters are established.

Falling Action

The events after the climax that lead toward the resolution of the story.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story. For example, Romeo and Juliet both express a sense of foreboding before their deaths.

Hyperbole

Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. For example, "I’ve told you a million times."

Interlude

A short play or performance inserted between the acts of a larger play.

Malapropism

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often creating humor. For example, saying "We’ll burn the midnight oil" instead of "We’ll burn the light of the midnight oil."

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as." For example, "Juliet is the sun."

Monologue

A long speech delivered by one character, often revealing their inner thoughts or feelings. *The Prince

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things. For example, "The wind whispered through the trees.

Plot Line

The sequence of events that make up the story.

Prologue

An introduction at the beginning of the play that provides background information, often delivered by a chorus.

Prose

Regular written or spoken language that doesn't have a specific meter or rhyme, as opposed to verse. In Romeo and Juliet, lower-class characters often speak in prose. *The servants (Peter)

Pun

A play on words that exploits multiple meanings of a term, often for humorous effect. Shakespeare is known for his clever puns.

Rising Action

The events leading up to the climax, where tension and conflict build.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as." For example, "Her eyes shone like stars."

Soliloquy

A speech given by a character alone on stage, revealing their inner thoughts. For example, Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme, often used to express love. Shakespeare's sonnets are well-known, and he uses sonnets in Romeo and Juliet, especially when Romeo and Juliet first meet.

Tragedy

A type of play that ends in disaster, often with the downfall of the main character. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy because of its tragic ending.