-
the author providing some background information to the audience aboutthe plot, characters’ histories, setting, and theme.
exposition
-
where the basic internal conflict is complicated by theintro of related secondary conflicts, including various obstacles that frustrate the protagonists attempt to reach his goal.
rising action
-
the 3rd act, the turning point which marks a change for the
better or worse in the protagonists’ affairs.
climax
-
the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with
the pro winning or losing against the an.
May include a moment of doubt of the outcome.
falling action (denouement)
-
“God from the machine” a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly
and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new
event, character, ability, or object
deus ex machina
-
poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. ¾ of English poetry is written in this.
blank verse
-
statements of proverbial wisdom, general.
commonplace
-
a set of rules,which
both the audience and actors are
familiar with and which act as a useful way of quickly signifying the nature of
the action or of a character.
dramatic conventions
-
saying something other than the ordinary way (metaphor, simile, etc)
stylistic devices
-
a repetition of similar sounds in two or more
words and is most often used in poetry and songs.
Couplet - a pair of lines of meter in
poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.
rhyming
-
the main character (the
central or primary personal figure) of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or
musical narrative, which ends up in conflict because of the antagonist and with whom the audience is intended to most
identify
protagonist
-
a character who contrasts with another character
(usually the protagonist)
in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character.
dramatic foil
-
a releasing of emotional or
other tension resulting from a comic episode interposed in the midst of serious
or tragic elements in a drama
comic relief
-
the order of events in a
narrative or any other type of story
plot
-
a verse form that typically
refers to a concept of unattainable love
Petrarchan
-
satirical comedy; something ridiculous,
absurdity; mockery
poetry farce
poetry far
-
branch of drama that treats
in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered
or caused by a heroic individual.
tragedy
-
a kind of tragedy involving
getting retribution usually on a loved one.
revenge tragedy
-
revenge tragedy with lots
of blood and gore.
Senecan tragedy
-
a legendary or traditional
story, usually one concerning a superhuman being and dealing with events that
have no natural explanation
mythology
-
a figure of speech that
makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary
work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication
allusion
-
the play is presented
before an audience of two of the characters, who comment upon the action
play-within-play
-
-
in Greek mythology, was a
Thracian king.
Tereus
-
in Greek mythology “goddess
in bird form” the wife of Terreus, mother of Itys.
Procne
-
ifteen books by the Roman poet Ovid,
describing the history of the world from its creation to
the deification of Julius Caesar within
a loose mythico-historical framework
Ovid's Metamorphoses
-
the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or
to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally
hyperbole
-
a belief that may be
adopted[1] about specific types of
individuals or certain ways of doing things, but that belief may or may not
accurately reflect reality
stereotype
-
a form of word play which suggests two or more
meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding
words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect
puns
-
he breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause,
or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses
enjambment
-
a feature in poetry in which the syntactic unit
(phrase, clause, or sentence) corresponds in length to the line
end-stopped lines
-
One of the four humors of ancient and
medieval physiology, supposed to cause melancholy when present in excess.
black bile
-
a device in which
characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts.
Allegory
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