Shakespearean Plays Macbeth Hamlet Tragedies Shakespearean Plays Macbeth Hamlet

Characteristics of the Tragic Hero Person of Societal Importance Admirable Actions involve well-being of others

Characteristics Continued Works to achieve a goal important to him Makes choices Has a tragic flaw that will be his downfall

Characteristics of the Tragic Hero Inner and outside forces contribute to downfall

Characteristics of the Tragic Hero Downfall results from fatal errors in judgment/weakness of character Choices lead to unforeseen, catastrophic chain of events that cannot be stopped

Characteristics of the Tragic Hero Tragic hero recognizes his flaw, but it’s too late Audience sympathizes with him

Bitterness envelopes tragic character Meets death with courage

Terms to Know Antagonist: Whom the protagonist battles Aside A remark (shorter than a speech) a character makes in an undertone to the audience that is not meant to be heard by the other characters on stage

Literary Terms Dramatis Personae Irony Dramatic Irony All of the characters in the play Irony Difference between what we know and what we expect Dramatic Irony What appears to be true to one or more of the characters in a play is seen to be false by the audience

Literary Terms Situational Irony Verbal Irony When the reader/character expects one thing to happen, but something else actually happens Verbal Irony When a writer says one thing but means another

Literary Terms Soliloquy Example: “A Modest Proposal” Example: Eating an entire bag of Cheeseburger Doritos and telling your mom that you had a light snack. Soliloquy A speech that a character makes while alone on stage to reveal his thoughts aloud to the audience

Literary Terms Meter Iambic Pentameter Metrical line of 5 units each of which is made up of two syllables, the first unstressed and the second stressed Most common form of meter used in English poetry

Iambic Pentameter Example u / u / u / How soon hath Time, the sub tle thief of youth.” U: represents unstressed (soft syllables) /: represents stressed (hard syllables)

Iambic Pentameter Example u / u / u / I am a pir ate with u / u / a wood en leg

Literary Terms Theme Verse Drama Central idea A play in which the dialogue almost entirely consists of poetry with a fixed pattern of rhythm or meter