William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Vocabulary

Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary Page 1 Meter- a particular arrangement or rhythm pattern in poetry, a stanza, or play; i.e. iambic pentameter Tragedy- a play which shows dramatic representations of serious actions that lead to a disastrous conclusion. In a tragedy, the main character(s) come to an unhappy ending. Blank verse- lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter Metrical foot- a group of 2-3 syllables forming a basic unit of poetic rhythm; i.e. “iamb” is unstressed-stressed syllables

Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary Page 2 Prose- inclusive term for all lines which are not patterned into the metric verse. In the case of Romeo and Juliet, all lines which are not in iambic pentameter Sonnet- poetry in verse form, usually iambic pentameter; English form is 14 lines with 3 Quatrains and 1 Couplet at the end Comedy- a play with a light-hearted tone, usually the theme of Love. Ends happily, usually with characters marrying each other.

Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary Page 3 Soliloquy- the act of talking to oneself, whether silently or aloud. Playwrights use this device as an easy way to convey information about a character’s motives and state of mind; or for purposes of exposition in order to guide the audience’s judgments and reactions. Aside- the character expresses his/her thoughts or intentions to the audience in a short speech. The other characters onstage cannot hear an aside. History- a play with a historical narrative; usually based on a real person from history. Shakespeare’s ten history plays highlighted monarchs from 1399-1485 in English history.

Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary Page 4 Symbolism- an object or person that takes on a meaning different from its’ normal meaning; usually meaning is deeper & more significant. Exeunt- a stage direction in plays to indicate one or more characters has left the stage. Monologue- a speech of any duration addressed from one character to another.

Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary Page 5 Pun- a play on words. The words are identical or similar in sound but have sharp diverse meaning. Farce- type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in far-fetched and very silly situations. Dramatic irony- when the audience knows something important that the characters are not aware of