Literary Terms By Ms. Ibsen

Literary Terms of Dramatic Importance: Character, Theme, Mood, and Plot

Character

Protagonist Central character/s Round- Develop, complex Not always good or narrator Follow and cheer for them May be more than one. Protagonist Central character/s

Opposes the protagonist Not always round May be morally right or wrong Closely connected with conflict May be more than one or even a group Antagonist Opposes the protagonist

The method or way you discover something new about a character Type 1. Indirect Characterization- real to life You discover the character through their actions, thoughts, words, people’s reaction to them, even their clothes. Type 2. Direct Characterization Narrator describes the character Characterization The method or way you discover something new about a character

Example Quote “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win” (1. 5. 2-10). *When choosing Characterization for the test, stick with moments you learn something new through indirect characterization.

Character---This quote is dramatically important because when Macbeth does or says “X”, the author now indirectly characterizes him as cruel. This is a change in his character from how Duncan and his wife described him as being “too... kind[]”(1,5,5). Thus, the reader learns that Macbeth is a round character. OR But, I am still hoping Macbeth succeeds, so he is a also the protagonist.

Theme

Theme Main idea Not- a topic, moral, cliche, or question Answers a question Uses examples from plot, character, setting, to prove it is the theme Requires analysis to explain evidence Take a clear and strong stance that is usually about human nature. Theme Main idea

Theme Examples Human’s greed is the cause of their stress. Husbands and wives should not trust each other, as each person will act in their own best interest.

Example Quote “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win” (1. 5. 2-10). *When you chose theme on the test, make sure to state a specific theme and use something in the quote as an example.

Theme-- This quote is dramatically important, as it shows an example of the theme: husbands and wives must never trust each other. Here, Lady Macbeth is thinking negative about Macbeth. Specifically, that he would cheat to win or “wrongly” (1. 5. 10) win, but she “fears” (1. 5.1) he doesn’t really have what it takes to get what he wants. It is clear she thinks she has what it takes and will force him to change to get what she wants. Clearly Macbeth should not trust her as he doesn’t really know her mind.

Mood

Setting Motif Tone Plot (more on this later) Mood Profound emotion of the reader generated by a combination of multiple elements of literature.

All elements of setting help establish the mood Basics of setting: Weather (pathetic fallacy) Place (all senses) Time of Day Era Social Conditions Mood 1: Setting All elements of setting help establish the mood

Purposefully recurring Recurring literary devices, descriptions, or words Richer than a topics but not quite a theme. Mood 2: Motif Purposefully recurring

Mood 3: Tone Attitude of the author Tone stays consistent; whereas, mood changes with events or setting. Consider, “Tone of voice” refers to attitude but not to exactly what is said. Decipher tone by gathering a collection of tools: Narrative voice, connotation of words, mouthpiece, and genre. Mood 3: Tone Attitude of the author

Example Quote “What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1) *When selecting mood for the dramatic significance, make sure you provide multiple clear reasons for the mood and that you correctly use the terms.

Mood-- In the first Act, Shakespeare’s tone towards the witches is very serious. I knew he was serious as what they said about Macbeth getting the title“Glamis” almost immediately came true. So, the tone influenced my mood of anxiety. Combine that and the motif of blood, that can make me vomit sometimes, made me on edge.

Plot

Plot refers to the events in the story Basics: Introduction- basic characters, and setting Rising Action- conflict introduced Climax- height of action. Point of no return. Falling Action- conflict starts to be alleviated or lessened Resolution- most items complete Mood 2: Plot Plot refers to the events in the story

Your Turn-- Analyze the following quote for dramatic significance, focusing on plot.

“ Wake Duncan with your knocking, I would thou couldst” (2. 2. 91). Example Quote When choosing plot as your piece for dramatic significance, make sure that you focus on parts of the plot that are absolutely essential to the story. Ex. Climax (point of no return) Rising Action (introduction of main conflict) “ Wake Duncan with your knocking, I would thou couldst” (2. 2. 91).

Student Example: “Plot-- This quote is important because...