Shakespeare vocabulary

Ambiguity

The desirable condition of admitting more than one possible meaning in a literary work.

Antagonist

A character or nonhuman force that opposes or conflicts with the protagonist.

Antihero

A protagonist who is, in one way or another, unlike a traditional hero.

Antithesis

A literary device that pairs opposing ideas to allow understanding through contrast.

Aside

A brief line spoken directly to the audience by a character, unheard by others onstage.

Catharsis

The release of strong emotions by the audience, meaning "to purge or cleanse."

Comedy

A work concluding with the protagonist's success and the healing of conflict-related wounds.

Confidante

A secondary character in whom the protagonist confides to reveal true thoughts.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something a character does not, creating dramatic tension.

Hyperbole

Deliberately exaggerated or overstated language used for a heightened effect.

Iambic Pentameter

A concept covered in class that will not appear on quizzes or exams.

Metaphor

A figure of speech fusing two unlike nouns into one idea.

Mood

The emotional way a play makes the reader or audience feel.

Motif

Something that repeats in a play or poem to gain significance.

Oxymoron

A literary device juxtaposing contradictory words to create a paradox effect.

Pastoral

A thematic trope depicting rural life as simple and urban life as corrupt.

Plot

The chronological arrangement of a play's conflict between protagonist and antagonist.

Protagonist

The main character(s) struggling with an antagonist to attain what they desire.

Repartee

A contest of wit where each person tries to cap the remark of the other.

Simile

A direct comparison of one thing to another using 'like' or 'as'.

Situational Irony

When something unexpected happens in a plot, causing dramatic tension.

Soliloquy

A long speech representing a character thinking out loud, unheard by others.

Subplot

A plotline subordinate to and thematically related to the main plot.

Theme

A topic explored in a literary work, usually implicitly communicated.

Tone

The emotional sense the reader perceives from the material.

Tragedy

A work concluding with the protagonist's failure due to antagonistic forces.

Verbal Irony

When an expression means something different from what it appears to mean.