Shakespeare Rhetorical and Literary Devices
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1.
interlude: temporary amusement that contrasts with that which
comes beforehand (a pause between the acts of a play)
21.
chiasmus: two parallel parts in which the second part is
structurally reversed ("foul is fair and fair is foul")
2.
assonance: repetition of vowel sounds ("I made my way to the
lake," "I don't know what's going on," "the hat man")
22.
parenthesis: an insertion of a word or clause that interrupts the
typical flow of a sentence
3.
objective correlative: when a playwright uses multiple things
to establish an emotion (language, music, imagery, emotion,
etc)
23.
ellipsis: the omission of a word or words replaced by three
periods
24.
epanalepsis: repetition at the end of a clause of the word that
occurred at the beginning of the clause ("love breeds love and
hatred breeds hatred")
4.
consonance: repetition of consonant sounds ("the lumpy bumpy
road" "the string was strong" "some mammals are clammy")
5.
antithesis: juxtaposition, for contrast, of ideas or words in a
balanced parallel construction ("let's agree to disagree")
25.
epimone: the repetition of a phrase or question often dwelling
on a point (repetition of "who is here" in the question)
6.
metalepsis: the compounding of multiple figures of speech
("something definitely smells in Denmark" referring to Hamlet)
26.
epistrophe: repetition of a word or phrase at the end of
successive clauses
7.
hendiadys: something is expressed with two words joined by a
copulative conjunction ("to look with eyes and envy" instead of
"to look with envious eyes)
27.
hyperbaton: altering word order, or separation of words that
belong together, for emphasis ("some rise by sin, and some by
virtue fall")
8.
anaphora: the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of
successive clauses ("Some glory in their birth, some in their
skill. Some in their wealth, some in their body's force.")
28.
blank verse: verse written in iambic pentameter, but unrhymed
(not to be confused with free verse), (nobility speaks in verse,
lines don't go all the way to the end)
9.
prose: written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without
metrical structure (lines go all the way to the end), (unversed
language, informal/conversational)
29.
couplet: two consecutive lines that rhyme
30.
soliloquy: a long speech expressing the thoughts of a
character alone on stage
31.
monologue: a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person
(other people can be on the stage)
32.
stichomythia: dialogue in which two characters speak alternate
lines of verse (dramatic dialogue where two people have a
heated back and forth, each getting one line in before the
other rebuts it; intense emotion and strong argumentation)
33.
paronomasia: use of words alike in sound but different in
meaning
34.
foil character: a character who sets off another character by
contrast
35.
metaphor: a comparison without using like or as
10.
metonymy: replacing the word with something associated with
that word ("sweet ride," "nice kicks," or use "the crown" in
substitute of the king/queen)
11.
synecdoche: a part is made to represent the whole or vice
versa ("nice wheels" because wheels are part of the car)
12.
tragedy (Senecan revenge tragedy): tragic cycle of having
something good about you; your confidence in this something
leading to your downfall
13.
tragic irony: arete: excellence
hubris: arrogance based off of your excellence
ate: stupid choice because of your arrogance
nemesis: downfall
36.
similie: a comparison using "like" or "as"
37.
hyperbole: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be
taken literally
catharsis: a release of emotional tension
38.
16.
affective fallacy: the supposed error of judging or evaluating
a text on the basis of its emotional effects on a reader (we
should be evaluating a text in terms of its own form)
personification: an object or animal is given human feelings,
thoughts, or attitudes
39.
foreshadowing: hints at coming events; often builds suspense
in the reader
17.
heroic couplets: two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter;
usually come after a dramatic statement
40.
dramatic irony: when a reader is aware of something that a
character isn't
18.
anadiplosis: repetition of the last word of one clause at the
beginning of the following clause ("Fear leads to anger. Anger
leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.")
19.
polysyndeton: use of more conjunctions than is necessary or
natural ("flowers and skies and trees")
14.
pathetic fallacy: ascribing feelings to things, kind of like
personification but typically more specific to elements of
nature, not necessarily humans or objects
15.
20.
asyndeton: omission of conjunctions between coordinate
phrases, clauses, or words (drop the conjunction and put a
comma, opposite of polysyndeton)