Literary Terms
 Repeating a consonant sound in close proximity to
others, or beginning several words with the same
vowel sound.
 “Buckets of big blue berries" alliterates with the
consonant “b.”
 A casual reference in literature to a person, place,
event, or another passage of literature, often without
explicit identification. Allusions can originate in
mythology, biblical references, historical events,
legends, geography, or earlier literary works.
 If a teacher were to refer to his class as a horde of
Mongols, the students will have no idea if they are
being praised or vilified unless they know what the
Mongol horde was and what activities it participated
in historically.
 Aside is when a line is spoken to the audience not to
the characters on stage
 ROMEO [Aside.]: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at
this?
 (also called unrhymed iambic pentameter): Unrhymed
lines of ten syllables each with the even-numbered
syllables bearing the accents
 The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to
heaven;
And, as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name. (5.1.12-17)
 A humorous scene, incident, character, or bit of
dialogue occurring after some serious or tragic
moment.Comic relief is deliberately designed to
relieve emotional intensity and simultaneously
heighten and highlight the seriousness or tragedy of
the action.
 In Romeo and Juliet, Mercucio says, "I will frown as I
pass by... No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but
I bite my thumb, sir.“ (I:i:41-53 )
 (the most important type of irony for literature)
involves a situation in a narrative in which the reader
knows something about present or future
circumstances that the character does not know
 Juliet is found dead in her bed; at least they all think
that she is dead, but we know that she is not dead "Lady, lady, lady!— Alas, alas! Help, help! My lady's
dead!"
 a dynamic character is one whose personality changes
or evolves over the course of a narrative or appears to
have the capacity for such change
 George in Of Mice and Men is a dynamic character
because at the end of the story he understands that he
cannot save Lennie from a society that has no humane
way to deal with him.
 The opposition between two characters (such as a
protagonist and an antagonist), between two large
groups of people, or between the protagonist and a
larger problem such as forces of nature, ideas, public
mores, and so on
 In Romeo and Juliet, the characters’ families are
feuding and forbid the romance that has developed
between them.
 a simplified character who does not change or alter his
or her personality over the course of a narrative, or one
without extensive personality and characterization
 In Of Mice and Men Curley is a flat character because
he remains undeveloped, forever little and forever
mean, poking his head in at various points in the
novel, either to look for his wife or to stir up trouble on
account of her.
 A character that serves by contrast to highlight or
emphasize opposing traits in another character
 Lennie works as a foil to George in Of Mice and Men.
Lennie is George’s opposite in size, mental ability, and
temperament; allowing us to see how childish and
spontaneous Lennie is – and how parental and
practical George is.
 Suggesting, hinting, indicating, or showing what will
occur later in a narrative. Foreshadowing often
provides hints about what will happen next
 In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife’s death is
foreshadowed by Lennie’s obsession with soft
creatures and the portrayal of Curley’s wife as
troublesome.
 Five iambs (a lightly stressed syllable followed by a
heavily stressed syllable.) that result in 10 syllable
lines.
 Shakespeare’s noble characters almost exclusively
speak in iambic pentameter.
This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper soften'd valour's steel!
 A struggle entirely within the mind and heart of the
character.
 In Of Mice and Men, George must battle his conscience
and determine what actions he should take to save his
friend without harming himself.
 When something is said or happens that is opposite of
what is meant or expected.
 In Romeo and Juliet, the Prologue in Act I opens with
"Two households, both alike in dignity, . . ." When you
first read this, you may think that the two families are
pretty dignified or honorable. As the play goes on,
however, you realize that each family is violently
competitive. They are similarly undignified.
 A comparison or analogy stated in such a way as to
imply that one object is another one, figuratively
speaking
 An old television ad from the 1980s urged teenagers
not to try drugs. The camera would focus on a close-up
of a pair of eggs and a voice would state "This is your
brain." In the next sequence, the eggs would be
cracked and thrown onto a hot skillet, where the eggs
would bubble, burn, and seethe. The voice would
state, "This is your brain on drugs." The point of the
comparison is fairly clear.
 A character speaking aloud to himself, or narrating an
account to an audience with no other character on
stage. Monologues don't have to address the audience,
but they are the dialogue of one person. Typically, they
illustrate the thoughts of the speaker, or tell a story.
 Juliet muses on how terrible she feels about Tybalt’s
death and Romeo’s banishment in a monologue.
 A feeling, emotional state, or disposition of mind--
especially the predominating atmosphere or tone of a
literary work
 At the beginning of the novel Of Mice and Men the mood
and tone are sincere, lighthearted, and innocent. Lennie
and George are casual workmen, simply drifting from town
to town- nobodies in a world of self-inflated somebodies.
Times get tense when unwanted personnel arrive, but the
moods quickly pass and flow from happy, carefree scenes
with puppies and horseshoe games; to tense, dreadful
atmospheres with death in the air.
 Using contradiction in a manner that oddly makes
sense on a deeper level
 Oxymorons appear frequently in Romeo and Juliet.
Perhaps the most famous oxymoron in the play is the
one occurring in the last two words of this line: "Goodnight, good-night! parting is such sweet sorrow (2. 2.
201). Sweet and sorrow mean completely opposite
things, an oxymoron consists of two contradictory
words occurring one after the other.
 When abstractions, animals, ideas, and inanimate
objects are given human character, traits, abilities, or
reactions
 “The worshipped sun peered forth” gives the sun the
ability to see.
 Any material that is not written in a regular meter like
poetry
 Shakespeare often uses prose for characters who are
commoners or who are highly agitated.
 Puns are a very popular literary device wherein a word
is used in a manner to suggest two or more possible
meanings. This is generally done to the effect of
creating humor or irony or wryness. Puns can also refer
to words that suggest meanings of similar-sounding
words. The trick is to make the reader have an “ah!”
moment and discover 2 or more meanings.
 Santa’s helpers are known as subordinate Clauses.
 A unit of verse consisting of two successive lines,
usually rhyming and having the same meter and often
forming a complete thought or syntactic unit.
 “When the bow breaks the cradle will fall/ and down
will come baby, cradle and all.
 Characters which have been fully developed by an
author, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and are
detailed enough to seem real. A round character is
usually a main character, and is developed over the
course of the story.
 In Romeo and Juliet, both Romeo and Juliet feel like
real people; we care about their fates, and so they are
round characters
 Similes are one of the most commonly used literary
devices; referring to the practice of drawing parallels or
comparisons between two unrelated and dissimilar things,
people, beings, places and concepts. By using similes a
greater degree of meaning and understanding is attached
to an otherwise simple sentence. The reader is able to
better understand the sentiment the author wishes to
convey. Similes are marked by the use of the words ‘as’ or
‘such as’ or ‘like’.
 He is like a mouse in front of the teacher.
 When something happens that is opposite of what is
expected or what is appropriate.
 If an Olympic swimmer were to drown in his or her
own bathtub, it would be an example of situational
irony.
 When a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to
him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of
the other characters.
Act III, Scene ii
[Enter JULIET alone.]
JULIET. Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,
Toward Phaeton would whip you to the west
And bring I cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaway’s eyes may wink, and Romeo
Leap to these arms untalked or and unseen….
 A character who does not change despite the action
that takes place within the plot.
 The nurse in Romeo and Juliet is a static character. She
is primarily concerned with Juliet and her emotional
well-being despite any of the plot twists that occur in
the play.
 A series of unfortunate events by which one or more of
the literary characters in the story undergo several
misfortunes, which finally culminate into a disaster of
“epic proportions.” Tragedy is generally built up in five
stages: a) happy times b) the introduction of a
problem c) the problem worsens to a crisis/ dilemma
d) the characters are unable to prevent the problem
from taking over e) the problem results in some
catastrophic, grave ending, which is the tragedy
culminated.
 Romeo and Juliet poses a series misfortunes which
ends in the deaths of the main characters.
 A noble character who works as the protagonist of a
tragedy but who possesses a tragic flaw which brings
about his or her downfall.
 In Romeo and Juliet Romeo works as the tragic hero
who is noble and kind, but is impatient and
impetuous, which ultimately leads to his and Juliet’s
deaths.
 The use of verbal irony in literature refers to playing
around with words such that the meaning implied by a
sentence/word is actually different from the literal
meaning derived. Often, irony is used to suggest the stark
contrast of the literal meaning being put forth. The deeper,
real layer of significance is revealed not by the words
themselves but the situation and the context in which they
are placed.
 Writing a sentence such as, “Oh! What fine luck I have!”.
The sentence on the surface conveys that the speaker is
happy with their luck but actually what they mean is that
they are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their
(bad) luck.