Literary Terms
By Ms. Ibsen
Literary Terms of
Dramatic Importance:
Character, Theme,
Mood, and Plot
Character
Round- Develop, complex
Protagonist
Not always good or narrator
Follow and cheer for them
Central character/s
May be more than one.
Not always round
Antagonist
Opposes the protagonist
May be morally right or wrong
Closely connected with conflict
May be more than one or even a
group
Characterizatio
n
The method or way you discover
something new about a
character
Type 1. Indirect Characterizationreal to life
You discover the character
through their actions, thoughts,
words, people’s reaction to
them, even their clothes.
Type 2. Direct Characterization
Narrator describes the
character
Example Quote
“Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win” (1. 5. 2-10).
*When choosing
Characterization
for the test, stick
with moments you
learn something
new through
indirect
characterization.
Character---This quote is dramatically
important because when Macbeth does or
says “X”, the author now indirectly
characterizes him as cruel. This is a change in
his character from how Duncan and his wife
described him as being “too... kind[]”(1,5,5).
Thus, the reader learns that Macbeth is a
round character. OR But, I am still hoping
Macbeth succeeds, so he is a also the
protagonist.
Theme
Not- a topic, moral, cliche, or
question
Answers a question
Theme
Main idea
Uses examples from plot,
character, setting, to prove it is
the theme
Requires analysis to explain
evidence
Take a clear and strong stance
that is usually about human
nature.
Theme Examples
1. Human’s greed is the cause of their
stress.
1. Husbands and wives should not trust
each other, as each person will act in
their own best interest.
Example Quote
“Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst
highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win” (1. 5. 2-10).
*When you chose
theme on the test,
make sure to state a
specific theme and
use something in the
quote as an example.
Theme-- This quote is dramatically important,
as it shows an example of the theme:
husbands and wives must never trust each
other. Here, Lady Macbeth is thinking negative
about Macbeth. Specifically, that he would
cheat to win or “wrongly” (1. 5. 10) win, but
she “fears” (1. 5.1) he doesn’t really have
what it takes to get what he wants. It is clear
she thinks she has what it takes and will force
him to change to get what she wants. Clearly
Macbeth should not trust her as he doesn’t
Mood
Mood
Profound emotion of the reader
generated by a combination of
multiple elements of literature.
Setting
Motif
Tone
Plot (more on this later)
Basics of setting:
Weather (pathetic fallacy)
Mood 1: Setting
All elements of setting help
establish the mood
Place (all senses)
Time of Day
Era
Social Conditions
Mood 2: Motif
Purposefully recurring
Recurring literary devices,
descriptions, or words
Richer than a topics but not quite
a theme.
Tone stays consistent; whereas,
mood changes with events or
setting.
Mood 3: Tone
Attitude of the author
Consider, “Tone of voice” refers
to attitude but not to exactly
what is said.
Decipher tone by gathering a
collection of tools: Narrative
voice, connotation of words,
mouthpiece, and genre.
Example Quote
“What bloody man is that?” (I,ii,1)
*When selecting mood for the
dramatic significance, make sure
you provide multiple clear
reasons for the mood and that
you correctly use the terms.
Mood-- In the first Act, Shakespeare’s
tone towards the witches is very
serious. I knew he was serious as
what they said about Macbeth getting
the title“Glamis” almost immediately
came true. So, the tone influenced my
mood of anxiety. Combine that and
the motif of blood, that can make me
vomit sometimes, made me on edge.
Plot
Basics:
Introduction- basic characters,
and setting
Mood 2: Plot
Plot refers to the events in the
story
Rising Action- conflict introduced
Climax- height of action. Point of
no return.
Falling Action- conflict starts to be
alleviated or lessened
Resolution- most items complete
Your Turn--
Analyze the following quote
for dramatic significance,
focusing on plot.
Example Quote
“ Wake Duncan with your
knocking, I would thou couldst”
(2. 2. 91).
When choosing plot as your
piece for dramatic significance,
make sure that you focus on
parts of the plot that are
absolutely essential to the
story.
Ex. Climax (point of no return)
Rising Action (introduction of
main conflict)
Student Example:
“Plot-- This quote is
important because...