Key Terms

Key Terms

Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy

Tragedy

A story in which the noble main character fails or dies because of a personal flaw or a twist of fate

A story about a doctor who worked hard to cure the sick would be a tragedy if

______________________________

Tragic Hero

The main character of a tragedy Combination of fate and character’s

actions contribute to downfall (tragic flaw)

Audience can recognize the tragic hero in a play because he or she

_______________________________

Character Foil

A character whose personality contrasts with - and thus highlights - the personality of another character

A character foil for a hero who is quiet would be another character who

_______________________________

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character alone on stage “thinks aloud” to himself or herself

A character in a play who is secretly in love might give a soliloquy about

_______________________________

Aside

A private remark that a character on stage makes to the audience or to another character but that is not heard by other characters on stage

An aside is similar to a soliloquy because________________________________

Protagonist/Antagonist

Protagonist: the lead character or hero in a literary work

Antagonist: the force that opposes the hero

In The Wizard of Oz, the protagonist is____________and the antagonist is

_______________

Dramatic Irony

A situation in a play in which the audience knows more than the character

The audience knew that the letter contained bad news; however, the character thought_________________

Comic Relief

A humorous scene intended to lighten the mood

As the family flees a burning house, a moment of comic relief might occur when the son says, “___________________”

Petrarchan Lover

A character whose love is unrequited (not given back)

____________ does not requite Romeo’s love.

Allusion

An indirect reference to another person, event, or story. Shakespeare's plays make allusions to the Bible and Greek Mythology.

Saying that someone is a “Scrooge” is an allusion to ___________________

Pun

A joke that results from multiple meanings of a word. Or a play on words

EX: Why can't a pony sing? Because it's a little____________

Iambic Pentameter

Unrhymed verse in which each line has five unstressed followed by five stressed syllables

Around the pond stood seven willow trees

Today we're gonna _______ ________ ______

Elizabethan Words to Know

thou = you e.g. "Thou wast in the next room."

ye = you e.g. "Ye all came forth from the room."

thee = you e.g. "I saw thee in the other room."

thine or thy = your e.g. "That is thy room."

art = are

dost = do

doth = does

'ere = before

hast = have

'tis = it is

nay = no

'twas = it was

wast = were

whence = from where

wherefore = why

hence = from here

oft = often

ay = yes

yon, yonder = that one there

would (he were) = I wish (he were)

marry = (a mild swear word)

hie = hurry