LITERARY DEVICES FOUND IN HAMLET BE SURE THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEFINITIONS.

IAMBIC PENTAMETER IAMBIC PENTAMETER IS THE NAME GIVEN TO A LINE OF VERSE THAT CONSISTS OF FIVE IAMBS…AND… AN IAMB IS ONE UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE FOLLOWED BY ONE STRESSED, SUCH AS "BEFORE". CO M/WATCH?V=P226OX39OLS

IAMBIC PENTAMETER The verse below starts at :54 seconds and ends about 1:19. His PALMS are SWEATy, KNEES weak, ARMS are HEAVy There's VOmit ON his SWEATer alREADy, mom's spaGHETTi He's NERVous, but ON the SURFace he LOOKS calm and READy To DROP BOMBS, but HE keeps ON forGETtin What HE wrote DOWN, the WHOLE crowd GOES so LOUD He OPens his MOUTH, BUT the WORDS won't come OUT He's CHOKin, how EVeryBODy's JOKin NOW The CLOCK'S run OUT, TIME'S up OVer, BLOah!

BLANK VERSE BLANK VERSE IS A LITERARY DEVICE DEFINED ASVERSE UN-RHYMING VERSE WRITTEN IN IAMBIC PENTAMETER.PENTAMETER

FEATURES OF BLANK VERSE 1. BLANK VERSE POETRY HAS NO FIXED NUMBER OF LINES. 2. IT HAS A CONVENTIONAL METER THAT IS USED FOR VERSE DRAMA AND LONG NARRATIVE POEMS.NARRATIVE 3. IT IS OFTEN USED IN DESCRIPTIVE AND REFLECTIVE POEMS AND DRAMATIC MONOLOGUES — THE POEMS IN WHICH A SINGLE CHARACTER DELIVERS HIS THOUGHTS IN THE FORM OF A SPEECH.

SOLILOQUY A SOLILOQUY IS A POPULAR LITERARY DEVICE OFTEN USED IN DRAMA TO REVEAL THE INNERMOST THOUGHTS OF A CHARACTER. IT IS A GREAT TECHNIQUE USED TO CONVEY THE PROGRESS OF ACTION OF THE PLAY BY MEANS OF EXPRESSING A CHARACTER’S THOUGHTS ABOUT A CERTAIN CHARACTER OR PAST, PRESENT OR UPCOMING EVENT WHILE TALKING TO HIMSELF WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THE PRESENCE OF ANY OTHER PERSON.

ASIDE AN ACTOR’S SPEECH, DIRECTED TO THE AUDIENCE, THAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HEARD BY OTHER ACTORS ON STAGE. AN ASIDE IS USUALLY USED TO LET THE AUDIENCE KNOW WHAT A CHARACTER IS ABOUT TO DO OR WHAT HE OR SHE IS THINKING. ASIDES ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY INCREASE AN AUDIENCE'S INVOLVEMENT IN A PLAY BY GIVING THEM VITAL INFORMATION PERTAINING WHAT IS HAPPENING, BOTH INSIDE OF A CHARACTER'S MIND AND IN THE PLOT OF THE PLAY. CLIPS/SHAKESPEAREAN-ASIDES-ON-THE-OFFICE/VIEW

FORESHADOWING FORESHADOWING IS A LITERARY DEVICE IN WHICH A WRITER GIVES AN ADVANCED HINT OF WHAT IS TO COME LATER IN THE STORY. FORESHADOWING IN FICTION CREATES AN ATMOSPHERE OF SUSPENSE IN A STORY SO THAT THE READERS ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE.

ALLUSION ALLUSION IS A BRIEF AND INDIRECT REFERENCE TO A PERSON, PLACE, THING OR IDEA OF HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, LITERARY OR POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE. IT DOES NOT DESCRIBE IN DETAIL THE PERSON OR THING TO WHICH IT REFERS. IT IS JUST A PASSING COMMENT AND THE WRITER EXPECTS THE READER TO POSSESS ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE TO SPOT THE ALLUSION AND GRASP ITS IMPORTANCE IN A TEXT.

METAPHOR METAPHOR IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH WHICH MAKES AN IMPLICIT, IMPLIED OR HIDDEN COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO THINGS OR OBJECTS THAT ARE POLES APART FROM EACH OTHER BUT HAVE SOME CHARACTERISTICS COMMON BETWEEN THEM ( WITHOUT USING “LIKE” OR “AS”). COMPARISON

METAPHOR EXAMPLES MY BROTHER WAS BOILING MAD. (THIS IMPLIES HE WAS TOO ANGRY.) THE ASSIGNMENT WAS A BREEZE. (THIS IMPLIES THAT THE ASSIGNMENT WAS NOT DIFFICULT.) IT IS GOING TO BE CLEAR SKIES FROM NOW ON. (THIS IMPLIES THAT CLEAR SKIES ARE NOT A THREAT AND LIFE IS GOING TO BE WITHOUT HARDSHIPS) THE SKIES OF HIS FUTURE BEGAN TO DARKEN. (DARKNESS IS A THREAT; THEREFORE, THIS IMPLIES THAT THE COMING TIMES ARE GOING TO BE HARD FOR HIM.) HER VOICE IS MUSIC TO HIS EARS. (THIS IMPLIES THAT HER VOICE MAKES HIM FEEL HAPPY)

SIMILE A SIMILE IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH THAT MAKES A COMPARISON, SHOWING SIMILARITIES BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. UNLIKE AMETAPHOR, A SIMILE DRAWS RESEMBLANCE WITH THE HELP OF THE WORDS “LIKE” OR “AS”. THEREFORE, IT IS A DIRECT COMPARISON. COMPARISONMETAPHOR

SIMILE EXAMPLES OUR SOLDIERS ARE AS BRAVE AS LIONS. HER CHEEKS ARE RED LIKE A ROSE. HE IS AS FUNNY AS A MONKEY. THE WATER WELL WAS AS DRY AS A BONE. HE IS AS CUNNING AS A FOX.

COMIC RELIEF HUMOR OUS SCENES OR SPEECHES THAT ALLEVIATE THE TENSION THAT HAS BUILT UP DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONFLICT OR CONFLICTS. COMIC RELIEF IS USED FREQUENTLY IN DRAMA, ESPECIALLY TRAGEDY, AND ALLOWS THE AUDIENCE OR READER TIME TO RELAX, LAUGH, AND CONSIDER THE DEVELOPING EVENTS WITHIN THE PLOT STRUCTURE.CONFLICTTRAGEDYPLOT STRUCTURE SKP17XTW#ACTION=SHARE

FOIL IN LITERATURE, A FOIL IS A CHARACTER THAT SHOWS QUALITIES THAT ARE IN CONTRAST WITH THE QUALITIES OF ANOTHER CHARACTER WITH THE OBJECTIVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE TRAITS OF THE OTHER CHARACTER.

EXAMPLES OF FOIL CHARACTERS UH2RY#T=130 UH2RY#T=130

OXYMORON A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH TWO OPPOSITE IDEAS ARE JOINED TO CREATE AN EFFECT.

PUN A PUN IS A PLAY ON WORDS IN WHICH A HUMOROUS EFFECT IS PRODUCED BY USING A WORD THAT SUGGESTS TWO OR MORE MEANINGS OR BY EXPLOITING SIMILAR SOUNDING WORDS HAVING DIFFERENT MEANINGS.

DRAMATIC IRONY DRAMATIC IRONY IS A TYPE OF IRONY IN WHICH THE AUDIENCE IS AWARE OF SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING IN THE NARRATIVE THAT A CHARACTER IN THE STORY DOES NOT KNOW. DRAMATIC IRONY GRABS THE READER’S ATTENTION AND CAN ALLOW THEM TO RELATE TO THE PLIGHT OF THE UNKNOWING PARTY, ALLOWING THEM TO EMPATHIZE WITH THE CHARACTER OR CHARACTERS. M M