Key Terms Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy

Tragedy A story in which the noble main character fails or dies because of a personal flaw or a twist of fate A story about a doctor who worked hard to cure the sick would be a tragedy if ______________________________

Tragic Hero The main character of a tragedy Combination of fate and character’s actions contribute to downfall (tragic flaw) Audience can recognize the tragic hero in a play because he or she _______________________________

Character Foil A character whose personality contrasts with - and thus highlights - the personality of another character A character foil for a hero who is quiet would be another character who _______________________________

Soliloquy A speech in which a character alone on stage “thinks aloud” to himself or herself A character in a play who is secretly in love might give a soliloquy about _______________________________

Aside A private remark that a character on stage makes to the audience or to another character but that is not heard by other characters on stage An aside is similar to a soliloquy because ________________________________

Protagonist/Antagonist Protagonist: the lead character or hero in a literary work Antagonist: the force that opposes the hero In The Wizard of Oz, the protagonist is ____________and the antagonist is _______________

Dramatic Irony A situation in a play in which the audience knows more than the character The audience knew that the letter contained bad news; however, the character thought_________________

Comic Relief A humorous scene intended to lighten the mood As the family flees a burning house, a moment of comic relief might occur when the son says, “___________________”

Petrarchan Lover A character whose love is unrequited (not given back) ____________ does not requite Romeo’s love.

Allusion An indirect reference to another person, event, or story. Shakespeare's plays make allusions to the Bible and Greek Mythology. Saying that someone is a “Scrooge” is an allusion to ___________________

Pun A joke that results from multiple meanings of a word. Or a play on words EX: Why can't a pony sing? Because it's a little____________

Iambic Pentameter Unrhymed verse in which each line has five unstressed followed by five stressed syllables round Around the pond stood seven willow trees Today we're gonna _______ ________ ______

Elizabethan Words to Know thou = you e.g. "Thou wast in the next room." ye = you e.g. "Ye all came forth from the room." thee = you e.g. "I saw thee in the other room." thine or thy = your e.g. "That is thy room." art = are dost = do doth = does 'ere = before hast = have 'tis = it is nay = no 'twas = it was wast = were whence = from where wherefore = why hence = from here oft = often ay = yes yon, yonder = that one there would (he were) = I wish (he were) marry = (a mild swear word) hie = hurry