Shakespeare Drama Lit. Terms

By: Whitney, Felicia, Ashlyn, Clayton, and Clay

Anastrophe

• Inversion of the normal syntactic order of words.– Ex: Majority of the place is the anastrophe. Which

leads to the fall of Othello’s happiness.– “Yet I’ll not shed her blood/ Nor scar that whiter

skin of hers than snow.” 5.2.3-4– Shakespeare uses Iago to ruin Othello’s happiness.

Tragic Flaw

• the character defect that causes the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

– Ex: When Othello hands off all his trust to a man in love with his daughter.

– Shakespeare uses tragic flaws to make his plays more interesting and allowing them to be mysterious.

Soliloquy

• A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without adressing a listener.– Ex: Soliloquy of Iago in Othello by William

Shakespeare in Act 1 Scene lll lines 403-425– Without this you wouldn’t know why Iago is

planning his schemes.

Catastrophe

• Any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco; a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end.– Ex:When Othello kills himself – Shakespeare uses catastrophe to write a tragic

play.

Motif

– A recurring subject, theme, idea, etc.

• Example: (I.i.117–118) -animals. Iago calls Othello a “Barbary horse,” an “old black ram,” and also tells Brabanzio that his daughter and Othello are “making the beast with two backs”• Shakespeare used motifs to show how angry

people get over racism.

hubris

• Excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance. – Example: After Iago hinted at Desdemona's

alleged infidelity, Othello's pride kept him from talking to her about it. Instead he allowed it to fester in his mind until it poisoned his whole mind. He thought that the only redemption of his pride and masculinity was the murder of his beautiful young wife.

– Shakespeare uses hubris to show the qualities of his characters and to show their characteristics.

Climax

• The highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something; culmination.– Ex:(III.iii when Othello kneels with Iago and vows

not to change course until he has achieved bloody revenge.

– Shakespeare uses climax to make the stories more intense and not so dull.

conflict

• To come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash; a fight battle, or struggle.– Ex(II.iii.142-161)- Cassio chases Roderigo and then

Cassio and Montano start to fight.– Conflict helps plays become more intriguing and

makes readers want to continue reading.

Comic relief

• An amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to intensify the dramatic action.– Ex:(II.iii.104-111)- Cassio gets drunk, and causes

an amusing scene. – Comic reliefs help relieve tension and stress from

the main concepts of the play.

personification

• The attribution of a personal nature or character to inanimate objects or abstract notions.– Ex:(I.i.51)- “Who, trimm'd in forms and visages of duty, Keep yet

their hearts attending on themselves, And, throwing but shows of service on their lords, Do well thrive by them and when they have lined their coats.”

They keep them on their feet is what this means.– Personification helps the readers get to know the

characters better.