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 his tragic
flaw..
Tragedy
A dramatic presentation that arouses pity
and fear in the audience, thus stimulating a
catharsis (or release)of these emotions.
.
Example:
In Shakespeare’s Othello , Othello allows himself to be convinced
that his wife is cheating on him. Othello then murders his own
wife, who is completely faithful and trustworthy.
Archaic words
Old fashioned language which is no
longer commonly used.
Examples: thee, thou, wherefore, art
(instead of “are”)
Wherefore art thou such a saucy
scoundrel?
Hyperbole
A figure of speech consisting of exaggeration or
extravagance of statement deliberately used for
effect and not meant to be taken literally.
Example
Situational Irony
Irony involving a situation in which
actions have an effect that
is opposite from what was intened,
so that the outcome is
contrary to what was expected.
Example
Verbal Irony
irony in which a person says or writes one thing
and means
another, or uses words to convey a meaning that
is the opposite of the literal meaning.
Example
Dramatic Irony
Information or knowledge is known by
the audience but not grasped by the
characters in the play.
Example
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 Miserables sings his thoughts, allowing the
audience to get inside of his mind and fully understand who he is
and what he is going through.
Protagonist
the character of a play or story
who drives the action. In Julius
Caesar, the protagonist shifts
throughout the play.
Antagonist
the character who is keeping the
protagonist from reaching his or
her goal
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. (All soliloquies are
monologues, but not all monologues are
soliloquies)
Example:
In Gladiator, Maximus talks for over a minute straight without
interruption while he tells the Emperor who he truly is.
Tone/Mood
The attitude a writer takes toward the
reader, a subject, or a character. Tone is
conveyed through the writer’s choice of
words and details, and the tone a character
conveys can create the mood that the
author wants the reader to feel.
Example: Dwight’s serious tone in The Office creates a
humorous mood
Conflict
Struggle or clash between opposing
characters, forces, or emotions.
Conflict can be external or internal.
example of external conflict:
Example of internal conflict:
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.
Blank Verse (unrhymed iambic
pentameter)
Unrhymed verse in which each line
contains five iambs; an iamb is a type
of metrical foot that consists of an
unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable.