Glossary of Terms: Macbeth 1. prose - ordinary non-metrical written or spoken language; used mainly for humour, madness, low status characters, letters (metre = how the rhythm of verse is measured; the inner rhythmical structure of a line) 2. verse - metrical written language which may or may not rhyme 3. blank verse - verse which does not rhyme. It’s flexible: it sounds like normal speech, but gives words a musical and refined quality. Often used by Shakespearean nobles. 4. soliloquy - a speech given by a character who is alone on stage. It is used to express the character’s feelings and Shakespeare often used it to express the theme(s) of the play. 5. dramatic irony - the audience is aware of a situation about which one or more of the characters are ignorant
6. aside - a comment made by a character that is directed to the audience and is not “heard” by the other characters on stage (Hint: the character steps aside.) 7. allusion - a reference to a person, event, fact, or place that appears in history (historical allusion), mythology (mythological allusion), or literature (literary allusion), or popular culture. 8. iambic pentameter – verse with five pairs of syllables to a line with the stress on the second syllable 9. tetrameter – verse with four metrical feet (usually four pairs of syllables = 8 beats) 10. imagery – the use of emotionally charged words and phrases that conjure up vivid mental pictures; often appeal to the reader’s five senses 11.
paradox - an apparent contradiction that reveals an underlying truth. (An oxymoron is a two-word paradox.)
12. stress - the relative force with which a sound or syllable is spoken 13. inflection - a change in pitch or tone of the voice
Tragedy Terms 14. tragedy (according to Aristotle, a Greek philosopher) – a drama in prose or verse telling of a series of events in the life of a person of significance which leads to an unhappy catastrophe 15. exposition – sets the scene, mood and atmosphere of the play; creates interest and grabs the audience’s attention 16. hamartia – the tragic flaw which causes the downfall of a tragic hero 17. catharsis – a cleansing or purging of emotions 18. peripeteia – a moment of illumination or recognition on the part of the tragic figure, at which time he acknowledges his responsibility for the tragedy
19. catastrophe - the final resolution which unravels the intrigue and brings the play to a close. In comedies, this may be a marriage between the main characters; in tragedies, it may be the death of one or more of the main characters KHindrichs: Macbeth glossary