Shakespearean Literary Devices

Mr. Crooke (United States of America)
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  1. alliteration
    use of the same consonant at the beginning of each word
    You're using poetic devices like alliteration and repetition and onomatopoeia. Seattle Times (Aug 30, 2013)
  2. aside
    a line spoken by an actor not intended for others on stage
    a short speech from actor to actor or actor to audience
  3. blank verse
    unrhymed poetry, usually in iambic pentameter
    Writing in blank verse, she added, had enabled her to give an "authentic sounding voice" to her characters.
  4. climax
    the decisive moment in a novel or play
    He especially enjoyed the dramatic climax at Eden Park early on Tuesday.
  5. conflict
    opposition in a work of fiction between characters or forces
    Struggle between opposing forces
  6. couplet
    a stanza consisting of two successive lines of verse
    There are tubas under the trees, giant sculptures plopped onto noisy median strips, rhymed couplets recited into the wind.
    Couplets in Shakespeare express a single and significant idea
  7. foreshadowing
    the act of providing vague advance indications
    Thomas’ fumble proved to be a foreshadowing of things to come. Washington Post (Dec 5, 2011)
  8. dramatic irony
    when the audience understands something the characters don't
    The audience only knew what we knew: there was no dramatic irony.
  9. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
    Saying Noel is the best shot blocker ever might be slight hyperbole. Seattle Times (Jan 30, 2013)
  10. imagery
    the ability to form mental pictures of things or events
    After all, the logic goes, millions of Americans see violent imagery in films and on TV every day, but vanishingly few become killers.
  11. dramatic irony
    when the audience understands something the characters don't
  12. metaphor
    a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
    Wary terrorist planners have tended to communicate in code or use metaphors when discussing targets, knowing they may well be intercepted.
    Does not use like or as
  13. monologue
    a dramatic speech by a single actor
    He responded with another intense monologue, the words spilling out a thousand miles an hour. Salon (Jun 11, 2013)
    Other characters can hear the speech
  14. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
    But why do so many podcasters think an entertaining podcast is an oxymoron?
  15. personification
    attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas
    The Devil might be the personification of evil but has nonetheless inspired a great deal of creativity down the ages. BBC (Feb 15, 2011)
  16. pun
    a humorous play on words
    Treating Shakespeare similarly means that jokes and puns become more apparent.
  17. simile
    a figure of speech expressing a resemblance between things
    "As true as steel" is the more ordinary simile that rises to one's memory. Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)
    Uses like or as
  18. soliloquy
    speech you make to yourself
    Soliloquies are often used to explain action or character. Thorndike, Ashley H.
  19. sonnet
    a verse form of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
    An imaginative lesson on Shakespearian sonnets will help pupils unlock their meaning.
  20. tragedy
    drama exciting terror or pity
  21. irony
    incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
    Every phrase out of his mouth is tinged with irony.
Created on Tue Nov 05 09:21:04 EST 2013 (updated Fri Dec 12 09:20:10 EST 2014)

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