Shakespeare Vocabulary

Allusion

• A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.

• A type of metaphor that compares two unlike things.

• A literary device that uses exaggeration for emphasis.

• A narrative technique that involves a sudden revelation.

Scene

• A sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera, or book.

• A brief moment of dialogue between characters.

• A location where the story takes place.

• A type of character development in literature.

Metaphor

• A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

• A comparison between two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'.

• A statement that contradicts itself but may include a latent truth.

• An exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally.

Aside

• A type of dialogue spoken directly to the audience that other characters cannot hear.

• A character's internal thoughts that are not expressed aloud.

• A scene in a play where characters interact with the audience.

• A monologue delivered by a single character.

Verse

• Writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme.

• A type of prose that tells a story.

• A form of writing that is purely factual.

• A narrative that includes dialogue and character development.

Prose

• Written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

• A type of poetry that follows a specific rhyme scheme.

• A narrative that includes dialogue and character development.

• A form of writing that is always fictional.

Act

• A main division of a play, ballet, or opera.

• A type of dance performance.

• A scene in a movie.

• A character's role in a story.

Rhyming Couplet

• Two lines of the same length that rhyme and complete one thought.

• A stanza of four lines with alternating rhymes.

• A single line of verse that does not rhyme.

• Two lines that are of different lengths and do not rhyme.

Hyperbole

• A literary device that uses understatement for effect.

• Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

• A figure of speech that compares two unlike things.

• A type of poetry that focuses on nature.

Malapropism

• The use of a word that is similar in sound but different in meaning, often leading to confusion.

• The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.

• A figure of speech that involves an exaggeration for emphasis.

• The use of a word in a way that is grammatically incorrect.