Literary Terms for Romeo and Juliet

Quarto

- A quarto is a sheet of paper folded in half and then half again like a sort of pamphlet -Since most of Shakespeare's work was not much appreciated when he was alive, most his plays were written in quartos instead of folios.

Scene

-A scene is a part of a play taking place in a single location and in real time without a break. -In the Play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, the first act for example has 5 scenes.

Soliloquy

-A soliloquy is a speech in a play given by a character on stage in which he or she reveals their inner thoughts and feelings to the audience -A soliloquy is usually a lengthy speech and is given when no other characters are on stage

Sonnet

-A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines -The shakespearean sonnet is a distinct kind of sonnet created by Shakespeare (abab,cdcd,efef,gg)

Theme

-A theme is a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work which may be stated directly or indirectly. -One of the most important themes in "To Kill a Mockingbird" is prejudice.

Tragedy

-A tragedy is a drama in which the central character meets with disaster or great misfortune. -In a tragedy, the central character's downfall is usually a result of fate or a serious character flaw.

Act

-An act is a unit or division of drama. -The play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is composed of 5 acts.

Allusion

-An allusion is an indirect or brief reference to a person, place, idea, or thing of some kind of significance. -The sentence, "He is a Romeo with the girls" is an allusion to Romeo, a passionate lover of Juliet in Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet".

Aside

-An aside is a brief remark to the audience, uttered while other characters are nearby but unable to hear -Asides are usually called "breaking the fourth wall" because they break the invisible barrier between the actors and the audience

Metaphor (extended metaphor)

-An extended metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things without using the words 'like' or 'as' and that is longer than an actual metaphor -In the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, there is an extended metaphor comparing swans and crows to women.

Blank verse

-Blank verse is an unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter. (10 syllables and every 2nd syllable is stressed) -Much of Romeo and Juliet is written in blank verse because this meter is well suited to serious subjects.

Deus ex Machina

-Deus ex Machina literally means 'god out of the machine (unrealistic ending) -In ancient Greek and Roman theater this god is introduced to resolve a complicated plot or conflict.

Stage Directions

-Directions in the text that instruct actors' physical movements. -Skakespear's quartos, for example, only contained limited stage directions because they were very basic

Dramatic foil

-Dramatic foil is when two characters have opposite personalities, causing a specific trait to stand out -In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio serves as a dramatic foil to the moody and emotional Romeo.

Dramatic irony

-Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or reader knows more about the true state of affairs than the characters do. -It is dramatic irony in Romeo and Juliet when they are dancing together not knowing that they are both from enemy families however, the audience knows.

Dramatis Personae

-Dramatis Personae is latin for the characters or persons in a play. -Dramatis Personae is a term highly linked to Shakespeare as it is included in the original publication of the first folio.

Foreshadowing

-Foreshadowing is usually described as the hints and preparations for later events in a peace of literature. -An example in Romeo and Juliet is when their love is said to be "death-marked"

Imagery

-Imagery is a form of description that appeals to the senses in order to depean the reader's or audience's understanding of the work of literature. -The different types of imagery are: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

In media res

-In medias res is the literary and artistic narrative technique of starting a story from the middle of a situation, rather than the beginning. -Act 1, Scene 1 is an example of In media res because the scene begins in the middle of a conversation between Sampson and Gregory.

Literary convention

-Literary conventions are the defining features of a particular literary genre -For example a literary convention could be "the breaking of the fourth wall" or the fact that characters are not the actual characters they are actors.

Poetics

-Poetics is a book that Aristotle wrote about the study of poems and drama. -Poetics was focuses on classical tragedies and was inspired by the play of Oedipus Rex.

William Skakespear

-Shakespeare was an english writer from the sixteenth century who is most famous for his play "Romeo and Juliet". -Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets during the span of his life.

First folio

-The first folio is the first collection of shakespeare's literary works -The first folio was put together 7 years after Shakespeare died

Groundlings

-The poorer spectators in public theaters that had to stand and watch a play from the pit or courtyard. -Back when plays were acted out in the Globe, a ticket for groundlings usually only cost 1 penny.

Tone

-Tone is the feelings and emotions that accompany the words in a monologue. -In a play, the tone of the speech is conveyed by the voice of the speaker.