WorksheetsShakespearean Literary Terms
Total questions: 33
Worksheet time: 17mins
What do we call two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme?
Couplet
Sonnet
Quatrain
Iamb
What do we call a stanza with six lines?
sestet
couplet
quatrain
octave
How many quatrains are in one Shakespearean Sonnet?
two
four
three
one
How many syllables are in one iamb?
two
four
ten
five
What do we call a play on the multiple meanings of a word?
pun
iamb
oxymoron
alliteration
A blank poem has no rhyme scheme but does follow a meter.
True
False
One of the most common rhyme schemes for the second stanza in a Petrarchan Sonnet is CDECDE.
True
False
Select ALL of the correct answers.
Why did Shakespeare write in iambic pentameter?
It was the only form of meter at the time
It was easier for actors to memorize
It followed the natural rhythm of your heart
It worked well with English spoken word.
A speech that is said by someone and MEANT to be heard is a..
monologue
soliloquy
prose
prologue
“O loving hate, / O anything, of nothing first created! / O heavy lightness, serious vanity” This quote
shows examples of what? Pay attention to the bolded phrases.
puns
anachronisms
oxymorons
foils
A play, novel, or other narrative that depicts serious and important events in which the main character
comes to an unhappy end is:
a tragedy
a drama
prose
a sonnet
Sampson asks Gregory "Is the law of our side if I say ay?" (I.i.41), which is not intended to be heard
by surrounding characters. This is an example of
an oxymoron
a pun
an aside
an anachronism
An unusually long speech in which a character who is on stage alone expresses his or her thoughts
aloud is called:
a monologue
a soliloquy
an aside
an oxymoron
How many syllables appear in one line of iambic pentameter?
ten
fourteen
two
three
A story written to be acted for an audience...
drama
prose
a comedy
dialogue
A short introduction at the beginning of a play that gives a brief overview of the plot
prologue
sonnet
drama
iambic pentameter
Direct, unadorned form of language, written or spoken, in ordinary use
prose
anachronism
Monologue
chorus
An event or detail that is inappropriate for the time period.
prose
anachronism
pun
foil
Consider the following: Mercutio's more casual approach to matters of the heart compared to his best friend’s helps illuminate the depth of Romeo’s obsession.
Without Mercutio as a _____, Romeo might just seem like a boy in love, in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
foil
pun
best buddy
anachronism
What is the purpose of comedic relief?
to lesson the seriousness of the plot
to accentuate the difference between the characters
to add drama to the plot
to make people laugh
A Petrarchan sonnet is composed of an octave and a sestet.
True
False
What are two most common rhyme schemes in the second stanza of a Petrarchan Sonnet?
CDCDCD
ABCDEFG
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
CDECDE
The following is an example of what? "You have dancing shoes / With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead" (I.iv.14-15).
a pun
octave
iamb
prose
Pun
Allusion
Verbal Irony
Pun
Allusion
Verbal Irony
This is an example of a...
oxymoron
pun
"Jumbo shrimp" is an example of...
pun
oxymoron
Suddenly the room filled with a deafening silence. The underlined sentence has an example of...
pun
oxymoron
How many lines are in a sonnet?
18
14
13
10
Shakespeare's use of five iambs stringed together is called
iambic pentameter
trochaic quadmeter
spondaic pentameter
dactylic trimeter
Which one is the correct rhyme scheme for sonnets?
abcd abcd efgh efgh ii
aabb ccdd eeff gghh ii
abab cdcd efef gg
aabb ccdd eeff gg
A type of sonnet that includes three quatrains and a couplet in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg.
Petrarchan Sonnet
Shakespearean Sonnet
Spenserian Sonnet
Italian Sonnet
An anachronism can be a mistake made by the author/director, but can also be purposeful.
true
false
