Literary Devices Used by Shakespeare

And other writers too…

SoliloquySoliloquy

• Def. A speech wherein a character speaks his thoughts aloud while he is alone. This is used to reveal thoughts or convey mood.

“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse; for I mine own gained knowledge should profane if I would time expend with such a snipe but for my sport and profit.”

- Iago (Othello I, iii)

Allusion

• Def: A reference, usually brief, to a presumably familiar person, place or thing.

“She hath Dian’s wit, and in strong proof of chastity well armed…”

- Romeo (R & J I,i)

Aside

• Def: A speech or comment which is only audible to the audience or specific characters, excluding other characters on stage.

• “O constancy, be strong upon my side, set a huge mountain ‘tween my heart and tongue!”

- PortiaJulius Caesar II, iv

Personification

• Def: The giving of human qualities to inhuman things to enhance meaning.

• “Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth, thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open…”

- Romeo (R & J, V, iii)

The Pun

Def: A play on words used for comic relief or dramatic irony.

“Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”

- Mercutio R & J III,i

The Pun

Def: A play on words used for comic relief or dramatic irony.

“Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.”

- Mercutio R & J III,i

Dramatic Irony

Def: The structuring of the drama so that the audience knows things that certain characters on stage don’t.

• “Beauty’s ensign yet is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, and death’s pale flag is not advanced there.”

- Romeo, (R & J, V, iii)

Metaphor

Def: a seemingly illogical comparison of two things which imparts a deeper meaning upon both.

“…Juliet is the sun.” -Romeo

(R & J, II, I)

Oxymoron

• Def: a compressed paradox by linking two contradictory terms in a phrase

• “O heavy lightness, serious vanity, misshapen chaos of well seeming forms.”

- Romeo (R & J, I,i)

Tragic Hero/Flaw

• Def: A heroic character’s weakness or error that leads to his/her downfall.

“I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this-killing myself, to die upon a kiss.”

Othello (Othello, V, ii)

The End