1. William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Vocabulary

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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 in English history.

5. 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.

6. 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