DRAMATIC DEVICES USED IN HAMLET
Tragedy: A drama dealing with a noble protagonist placed in a highly stressful situation that
leads to a disastrous, usually fatal conclusion.
Revenge Tragedy: A murder that must be avenged by a relative of the victim. Typically, the
victim’s ghost appears to demand revenge, and invariably madness of some
sort is worked into the subsequent events (which ultimately ends in the
deaths of the murderer, the avenger, and a number of other characters).
Tragic Flaw: An error or defect in the tragic hero that leads to his downfall: greed, pride,
ambition, bad judgment, an inherited weakness, or any other defect.
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Soliloquy: A speech made by a character alone on stage in order to reveal his/her thoughts or
feelings.
Aside: A speech directed to the audience (that the other characters on stage supposedly can’t
hear) revealing a character’s thoughts.
Monologue: A long speech made by a character.
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Act: A major division in the action of a play indicating a major change in time, setting, mood, or
characters onstage.
Scene: A small unit of a play in which there is no shift of locale or time.
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Allusion: A reference to a literary or historical person or event to explain a present situation (as
in the reference to Caesar’s ghost – Act 1, scene 1)
Comic relief:
A humorous scene or speech in a serious drama meant to alleviate the tension. It
makes the audience laugh but also intensifies the seriousness of the situation.
Dramatic irony: The difference between what a character says or believes and what the
audience knows to be true.
Metonymy: A type of metaphor in which something closely associated with a subject is
substituted for it (the crown = the king, the White House = the activities of the
president)
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Characterization: The process by which a writer makes a character seem real to the reader.
 Hero – the central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy.
 Static character – does not change throughout the work. The reader’s knowledge of
that character does not grow.
 Dynamic character – undergoes some kind of change because of the action of the
plot.
 Flat / stock character – embodies one or two traits or qualities (stereotypes). They
are not psychologically complex; they are “types” rather than individuals and their
actions and responses are predictable.
 Round character – more complex than flat characters, and often display the
inconsistencies and internal conflicts found in real people.
 Foil – a character whose behavior and values contrast with those of another character
in order to highlight the distinctive temperament of that character (usually the main
character).