Tragedy
A play in which the hero is destroyed by some character flaw or forces outside of his/her control
Act
A section of a play
Scene
A section of an act
Iambic pentameter
Verse in which there are 10 syllables per line, with an accent on every other syllable
Blank verse
Unrhymed iambic pentameter
Chorus
A single actor who introduces the play
Prologue
An introduction. In Romeo and Juliet, the prologues are sonnets.
Sonnet
?A 14-line poem, with rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg, that is written in iambic pentameter.
Soliloquy
An actor speaks who is alone on stage.
figurative language
?Language used to create a special effect, like similes, metaphors and
personification
Simile
?A comparison using like or as (school is as exciting as...)
Metaphor
?A comparison without using like or as (school is...)
Personification
An inanimate object is given human characteristics
Comic relief
Used in tragedies to lighten the mood for a brief period of time
Pun
A play on words
Oxymoron
?contradicting terms ("fun run")
Foreshadowing
The author leaves a clue for a brief period of time
Imagery
?Language that's used to create a picture in our minds
Aside
?In a play, when a character says something for the audience to hear, but the other actors on stage can't hear.
Hyperbole
?An over-exaggeration ("I have twenty hours of homework.")
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something the characters don't