Iambic Pentameter: is a type of meter that is used in poetry and drama. It describes a particular rhythm that the words establish in each line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet". The word "iambic" describes the type of foot that is used.(unstressed stressed) The word "pentameter" indicates that a line has five of these "feet". Example: line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row: ta TUM ta TUM ta TUM ta TUM ta TUM (Two HOUSE) (holds BOTH) (a LIKE) (in DIG) (ni TY)

Blank Verse: is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme Example: Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, -Macbeth, Shakespeare

Sonnet: the Shakespearean Sonnet consists of 14-lines that are divided into three four- line sections (each called a quatrain), and a concluding section of just two lines: a rhyming or closed couplet. Each quatrain has an alternating rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, and efef. The final rhyming couplet has the rhyme scheme: gg. An example showing just the last end-rhymed words would be:... sun(a)... red (b)... dun (a)... head (b)... white (c)... cheeks (d)... delight (c)... reeks (d)... know (e)... sound (f)... go (e)... ground (f)... rare (g)... compare (g) My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

Couplet: is a stanza of only two lines which usually rhyme. Example: “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare." Sonnet 130

Soliloquy/Monologue : is a speech delivered by a character who is alone on stage: Aside: is a comment made by a character that is heard by the audience or another character BUT is not heard by all of the characters on stage. Both of these devices help to provide the audience with information and reveal the private thoug hts of characters.

Epithet: Any word or phrase applied to a person or a thing to describe an actual or attributed quality. An epithet is often used in the place of an actual name or title. Example: “man’s best friend” is an epithet for dog.

A Foil: is a character who provides contrast to another character. Writers use a foil to emphasize another character’s distinctive traits or to make a character look better by comparison.

Pun: is a humorous play on different meanings of a word or on words that sound alike but have different meanings.

Oxymoron: is a literary device that combines opposite or contradictory terms.

Hyperbole: Exaggeration often used for emphasis Example: That was the best meal I have ever had! I am so hungry; I am starving! Example: That was the best meal I have ever had! I am so hungry; I am starving!

Idiom: An expression where the literal meaning of the words is not the meaning of the expression. It means something other than what it actually says. Ex. Letting the cat out of the bag.

Litotes : Understatement - basically the opposite of hyperbole. Often it is ironic. Ex. Calling a slow moving person “Speedy”

Comic Relief: is a short, funny episode used to break the tension, provide a humorous twist on the theme, or it may emphasize an unfolding tragedy.

Tragic Flaw: The single characteristic (usually negative) or personality disorder which causes the downfall of the protagonist.

Tragedy: Where a story ends with a negative or unfortunate outcome which was essentially avoidable, usually caused by a flaw in the central character’s personality. Tragedy is really more of a dramatic genre than a literary element. It is various elements within the work that make it a tragedy.