Literary and Drama Terms - LCPS

LCPS English - 9th Grade. Literary and drama terms to be used in the Romeo and Juliet unit.

Pun

A form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'.

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that the audience is expected to recognize.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things by stating one is the other.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

Personification

A literary device where human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts.

Dramatic Irony

A situation in a play where the audience knows more about the events than the characters, creating tension.

Tragedy

A dramatic work that presents the downfall of a character, often due to a fatal flaw or fate.

Soliloquy

A speech delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing their thoughts and feelings to the audience.

Aside

A remark made by a character that is intended to be heard by the audience but not by other characters on stage.

Dialogue

The written conversational exchange between two or more characters in a literary work.

Comic Relief

A humorous scene or passage inserted into a serious work to provide a temporary relief from tension.

Apostrophe

A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love.