Shakespeare Dramatic Terms

A long speech by one actor in a play addressed to a silent listener

• monologue

• soliloquy

• dialogue

• aside

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

A lyric poem of fourteen lines, almost always written in iambic pentameter and typically following strict patterns of stanza divisions and rhymes. Two basic types are Italian or Petrarchan and the English or Shakespearean

• sonnet

• haiku

• song

• chorus

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

A long speech spoken by a character in a dramatic work, who is typically alone on stage. The speech reveals the private thoughts and emotions of the character.

• monologue

• dialogue

• aside

• soliloquy

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

A humorous play on two or more meanings of the same word or on two different words with the same sound

• oxymoron

• pun

• metaphor

• aside

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

A figure of speech that is a combination of seemingly contradictory words

• metaphor

• dramatic irony

• pun

• oxymoron

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things which are basically dissimilar without using like, as, or seems

• metaphor

• simile

• oxymoron

• pun

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

Exists when the reader knows something that a character doesn't know

• aside

• soliloquy

• dramatic irony

• pun

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

A humorous scene, event or speech in a serious drama. It usually provides relief from emotional intensity, while at the same time highlighting the seriousness of the story.

• Comic relief

• dramatic irony

• aside

• monologue

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

A group of singers distinct from the principle performers in a dramatic or musical performance and also the song or refrain that they sing.

• main characters

• minor characters

• chorus

• actor

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

In a play, a characters comment that is directed to the audience or another character, but is not heard by any other characters on stage. It reveals what the character is thinking or feeling.

• monologue

• dialogue

• soliloquy

• aside

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10