a remark or passage in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play
Aside
a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings
Pun
a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character
Tragedy
a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.
Tragic hero
fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.
Tragic flaw
prevent (something considered wrong or undesirable) from succeeding .
frustrate the efforts or plans of.
Foil
comic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious sections.
Comic Relief
a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
an act of attributing a custom, event, or object to a period to which it does not belong.
Anachronism
an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play
Soliloquy
a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program
Monologue
a group of singers or dancers performing together in a supporting role in a stage musical or opera.
Chorus
undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude
Dynamic character
one who doesn't undergo any significant change in character, personality or perspective over the course of a story.
Static Character
the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
Irony
when words express something contrary to truth or someone says the opposite of what they really feel or mean. Verbal irony is often sarcastic.
Verbal irony
a literary device that you can easily identify in literary works. Simply, it occurs when incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead.
Situational irony
a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.
Dramatic irony
a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It is the opposite of understatement. will often be used to show contrast or catch the reader's attention.
hyperbole
language and description that appeals to our five senses. When a writer attempts to describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing;
imagery
a literary device that is used step-by-step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story.
Characterization
figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics
Metaphor
a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as." Therefore, it is a direct comparison.
Simile
a form of figurative language in which something that is not human is given human characteristics.
Personification
a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers.
Allusion
the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense
Symbol/Symbolism
a literary genre and a type of dramatic work that is amusing and satirical in its tone, mostly having a cheerful ending.
Comedy
a beat or foot that uses 10 syllables in each line. Simply, it is a rhythmic pattern comprising five iambs in each line, like five heartbeats.
Iambic pentameter
a rhyming, or pair of lines with end rhymes in iambic pentameter, meaning there are five iambic 'feet' on each line.
Heroic couplet
a recurrent image, idea, or symbol that develops or explains a theme, while a theme is a central idea or message.
Motif