Literary Elements

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Literary Elements
Macbeth Notes Part II
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• 1. Irony
• Verbal When a character says one thing but
  means another
• Situational When one thing is expected to happen
  but something else happens instead
• Dramatic When the reader or viewer knows
  something that a character does not know

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• 2. Metaphor A comparison between two unlike
  things that have something in common highlights
  the features that the objects or concepts share
• 3. Simile Same as metaphor but utilizes the
  words like or as

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• 4. Personification Human qualities are
  attributed to objects, animals, or ideas
• 5. Foreshadowing The use of hints or clues to
  suggest what events will occur later

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• 6. Allusion A reference to a historical or
  fictional person, place, or event with which the
  reader is assumed familiar
• (Bible, Greek gods, etc.)

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• 7. Symbol Something (usually a person, place, or
  thing) that represents something else

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• 8. Imagery Words phrases that create mental
  pictures for the reader a majority are visual
  ( other 4 senses taste, hear, smell, touch)

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• 9. Motif Recurring word, phrase, image, object,
  idea or action it will often relate to a major
  theme of the story

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• 10. ParadoxA statement that seems to contradict
  itself but , in fact, reveals some element of
  truth
• Example Fair is foul and foul is fair.

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• 11. Equivocation
• A form of deceptive speech
• Providing a justification for lying

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• Having TWO possible meanings to be purposely
  deceptive
• Claiming that if a statement can be considered
  truthful from a certain perspective, its not
  actually lying

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• 12. Agent of change A person or spirit that
  produces a significant change in a situation

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• 13. Pathetic fallacy A tool of imagery used to
  convey natures response to the unnatural events
  that occur. (When things in nature mirror human
  events)

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• 14. Soliloquy monologue delivered by a
  character when he/she is alone allowing the
  character to convey inner thoughts and feelings
  to the audience

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• 15. Aside A character speaks explicitly to the
  audience while the other characters on stage are
  not able to hear can also occur between two
  characters

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• 16. Primogeniture When the first-born son of
  the king attains the throne upon his fathers
  death (patrilineal succession)

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• 17. Hamartia TRAGIC FLAW a quality that
  leads to the heros destruction (ex. Hubris,
  ambition)

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• 18. Tragic Hero a dignified character who is
  neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly evil
  suffers a change in fortune because of a mistaken
  act, to which he is led by his hamartia his
  error of judgment

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• 19. Catharsis An emotional release or purging
  an emotional or spiritual renewal or welcome
  relief from tension and anxiety

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• When an audience filled with confusion and
  unhealthy emotions, such as pity and fear, comes
  to see a play developing make-believe actions
  that would be harmful if occurring in real life.
  The audience participates emotionally in the
  dramatic action and goes away psychologically
  cleansed, purged of injurious feelings and
  sensations