Sonnet 14 line poetic form Usually tells a story of love and argues a point or solves a problem. 3 quatrains (groups of 4) 1 rhyming couplet (a group of 2 lines) Rhyme Scheme Abab cdcd efef gg Meter (rhythm of the line) Iambic pentameter The first syllable is unstressed The second syllable is stressed “My lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand” –William Shakespeare

Rhyming Couplet Two consecutive lines that rhyme The lines must be in iambic pentameter Rhyming couplets are always found at the end of sonnets. Rhyming couplets are also often found at the end of scenes in Shakespeare’s plays. Why do you think Shakespeare chose to do this?

Tragedy Events turn out disastrously for the main characters (often death) Events are put into motion by a decision that is often an error in judgment Innocent bystanders are killed Characters alive at the end learn a lesson.

Pun A joke that comes from a play on words Often from a homonym What did the fish say when he hit the wall?

Foil A character who provides a striking contrast to another character Benvolio (kind, benevolent) to __________ Juliet (prim, proper) to _____________

Oxymor0n Special kind of concise paradox that brings together two contradictory terms Jumbo shrimp Fine mess Bright smoke Feather of lead

Aside A short speech directed to the audience, or another character, that is not heard by the other characters on stage.

Soliloquy A speech where the character speaks his/her thoughts out loud Usually the actor is alone on stage

Paradox A seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that may nonetheless suggest an important truth. "I must be cruel to be kind". Shakespeare in Hamlet

Personification Giving human characteristics to inanimate objects The sun danced across the sky.

Allusion An indirect reference to a famous person, place, event or literary event. Most common allusions Mythology The Bible Shakespeare

simile Comparing 2 unlike objects using “like” or “as” She was as beautiful as the first buds flowering after a long winter.

Metaphor Comparing 2 unlike objects. Can be more than 1 line. "A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas—a place where history comes to life." — Norman Cousins

Dramatic irony The audience or reader knows more than the characters know. In Romeo and Juliet we will know several things that the characters in the play don’t know. Watch for this.