Shakespeare Terms Flashcards
Shakespearean sonnet
14 line poem
3 quatrains and 1 couplet
rhyme scheme is abab (quatrains), cc (couplet)
iambic pentameter
Couplet
a pair of rhyming lines
Tragedy
drama that ends in catastrophe (most often death) for the main characters
Comedy
dramatic work that is light and often humorous in tone, usually ending happily with a peaceful resolution of the main conflict
Tragic hero
character(s) who are involved in historically and socially significant events
Tragic flaw
a decision that is often an error in judgement
Monologue
poem/speech which the speaker addresses a silent or app sent listener as if engaged in a private conversation
Soliloquy
a speech in which a character speaks his or her thoughts out loud
Dialogue
written conversation between two or more characters
Aside
shorts speech directed to the audience, or another character, that is not heard by the other characters on stage
Foil
a character who provides a striking contrast to another character
Blank verse
unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter
Allusion
indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work
Pun
joke that comes from a play on words
Iambic pentameter
five stressed syllables alternating with five unstressed syllables per line
