Romeo and Juliet Literary and Dramatic Terms

Drama that ends in catastrophe - most often death (for the main characters)

• Tragedy

• Tragic Hero

• Tragic Flaw

• Apostrophe

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Protagonist or central character that the audience identifies with. Usually falls or dies because of a character flaw or a cruel twist of fate. Often has a high rank or status.

• Couplet

• Tragic Flaw

• Tragic Hero

• Soliloquy

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Characters whose personality and attitude contrast sharply with those of another character, highlighting both characters' traits.

• Tragic Flaw

• Tragic Hero

• Aside

• Dramatic Foil

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Long, uninterrupted speech given by a character alone on stage (that other characters cannot hear). This reveals the characters thoughts and feelings.

• Soliloquy

• Monologue

• Aside

• Comic Relief

Long, uninterrupted speech given by character to other characters on stage (that they can hear).

• Soliloquy

• Monologue

• Aside

• Comic Relief

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Short speech given by a character (usually to the audience) that other characters do not hear.

• Soliloquy

• Monologue

• Aside

• Comic Relief

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.4

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

When the audience knows more than the characters; helps build suspense.

• Soliloquy

• Aside

• Dramatic Irony

• Allusion

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

An amusing scene, incident, character or speech intended to lighten the mood of a serious work. Provides temporary relief.

• Foreshadowing

• Comic Relief

• Pun

• Stage Directions

Made up of unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.

• Couplet

• Perfect Rhyme

• Sonnet

• Blank Verse

A type of meter that has 5 unstressed syllables, each followed by a stressed syllable.

• Iambic Pentameter

• Allusion

• Couplet

• Perfect Rhyme