Romeo and Juliet

1
Romeo and Juliet

• Act 1 Literary terms

2
Aside

• A device in which a character in a drama makes a
  short speech which is heard by the audience but
  not by other characters in the play

3
Oxymoron

• Definition A figure of speech which brings
  together contradictory (opposite) terms.
• Examples living death, pretty ugly,
• sweet sorrow, smart but stupid,
• cheerful pessimist

4
Simile

• Definition A comparison of two unlike objects
  using the word like or as.
• Example My love is like a red, red rose.

5
Metaphor

• Definition A comparison of two unlike objects
  without the use of the word like or as.
• Example The cat's eyes were jewels, gleaming
  out of the darkness.

6
Personification

• Definition Giving human attributes and/or
  feelings to an idea or thing as if it were human.
• Examples a wicked tongue
• a lonely road
• a lazy day

7
Foreshadow

• Definition The introduction early in a story of
  verbal and dramatic hints that suggest what is to
  come later.

8
Pun

• Definition A play on words which uses words that
  sound alike but have different meanings.
• Example The dentist joined the army because he
  liked to drill. (drill could have two meanings
  drilling of the teeth or march drills in the
  army)

9
Irony

• Definition A contrast between appearance and
  reality.
• Types of Irony
• Verbal
• Dramatic
• Situational

10
Verbal Irony

• Definition A difference between what is
  literally said and what is actually meant.
• Example Well, thanks a lot! (spoken when
  someone has not been at all helpful)

11
Dramatic Irony

• Definition When the reader or audience knows
  that the situation is exactly the opposite of
  what the participants think it is.
• Example In William Shakespeares Othello, the
  audience knows Iago is the villain, but Othello
  believes Iago is his most trusted friend

12
Situational Irony

• Definition When the outcome of circumstances is
  the opposite of what is expected or appropriate.
• Example In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet
  Letter, Dimmesdale is found to be a liar and an
  adulterer, but he is also a reverend.

13
Alliteration

• Definition The repetitious use of the same
  beginning consonant sound in two or more nearby
  words.
• Example The ballot is bigger than the bullet.
• Abraham Lincoln

14
Comic Relief

• Definition A humorous scene or incident that
  improve tension in an otherwise serious work.

15
Allusion

• Definition A reference, usually brief, to a
  person, place, thing, or event with which the
  reader is presumably familiar. The allusion lets
  the reader condense great meaning into only a few
  words. Allusions often refer to mythology,
  history, religious and literary texts, etc.
• Example He has the patience of Jesus.

16
Motif

• Definition A motif is an idea, object, or theme
  that is repeated. A motif may also be two
  contrasting elements in a work, such as good and
  evil.
• Example In Jaws, the approach of the shark is
  always signaled by a strumming of bass strings
  slowly as the music builds in pitch and speed.

17
Symbol

• Definition Any word, object, character, or
  action used to stand for something else,
  embodying and evoking a range of additional
  significance and meaning.
• Example heartlove dovepeace skulldeath

18
Hyperbole

• Definition An exaggeration or overstatement to
  make emphasis and heighten the overall effect
  (comic or serious) of a work.
• Example This backpack weighs a ton!
• Example She called me a million times.