Shakespeare Lit Terms

A long speech delivered by an actor on stage to other actors.

A writer’s central idea or main message.

When the narrator or author provides information about the character directly to the audience.

A remark that suggests something but does not refer to it directly.

Characters actions or thoughts are juxtaposed against each other to further characterization.

A reference to a well-known person, place or event from history, music, art or literary works.

A character that develops (changes) throughout the story.

A short written tribute in memory of a dead person.

The author’s attitude toward a subject.

A comparison between two unlike things.

The audience knows more about the events of the story than the characters within it.

A brief description of a literary character.

A character that has multiple or conflicting motivations.

A character that remains the same throughout the story.

A long speech delivered by an actor alone on stage; represents the characters internal thought.

A comparison between two different things using the words “like” or “as”.

The emotional atmosphere created for the audience.

Each line of writing contains 5 pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables (10 syllables per line).

A short speech by an actor to the audience or to a character and unheard by other characters.

information about the character through interacting with others or speaking thoughts aloud.