Literary Terms
You should follow along in your Act I note packet
Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)
The character defect that causes the downfall of the
protagonist of a tragedy
Examples:
Samson is a Bible character whose fatal flaw was related to a
woman. His love for Delilah – a wicked woman who was paid by
the Philistines to find the source of his great strength. When he
finally revealed that his strength was due to his long hair,
Delilah’s servant shaves his hair and his strength is taken away
from him.
In the Back to the Future film series, Marty McFly gets himself into
trouble several times due to his fatal flaw – the inability to walk
away when someone suggests that he is too afraid to follow
through. His unwillingness to be labeled a "chicken" is an instance
of hamartia.
Tragedy
Branch of drama that has a serious and
dignified style the sorrowful or terrible
events encountered or caused by a
heroic individual.
Examples:
Othello : Due to his trusting nature, Othello allows himself to be
convinced that his wife is cheating on him. Othello then murders
his own wife, who is completely faithful and trustowrthy.
Dramatic Irony
Information or knowledge is known by the audience but
not grasped by the characters in the play.
Examples:
Othello : The audience knows the entire time that his wife is
faithful, but Othello himself does not.
Batman: the audience knows Bruce Wayne is Batman, but the
chief commissioner doesn’t
Inception: The audience knows that the main characters are in a
dream, but some of the characters do not.
Soliloquy
Passage in a drama in which a character expresses his thoughts or
feelings aloud while alone upon the stage
Examples:
Jean Valjean in Les Miserable sings his thoughts, allowing the
audience to get inside of his mind and fully understand who he is
and what he is going through.
Aside
A character's dialogue is spoken but not heard by the other
actors on the stage. Asides are useful for giving the audience
special information about the other characters onstage or the
action of the plot.
Examples:
In Saved by the Bell, Zach Morris has the ability to call timeout,
and gives the audience small pieces of information, all while the
other members of the show cannot hear what he says.
Monologue
A single speaker goes on and on and on, speaking to the other
characters on stage, the audience, whomever.
Examples:
In Braveheart, William Wallace gives a long speech to his army
and is the only one to talk for over three minutes straight.
In Gladiator, Maximus talks for over a minute straight without
interruption while he tells the Emperor who he truly is.
Anachronism
Anachronisms happen when something in your book is out of sync
with time. In other words, anachronisms are references that are out of
place given the text's chronology, sequence of events, or historical
setting.
Examples:
In Back to the Future, Marty Mc Fly plays a Gibson guitar, which
didn’t exist yet.