DRAMATIC EFFECTS

Question 1

what is antithesis?

Answer 1

when two opposite things or ideas are placed side by side for contrasting effect

Question 2

what is the effect of antithesis?

Answer 2

Placing opposites in close proximity to each other emphasises their difference and is reflective of the tensions and complexities within the plays and characters.

Question 3

what is dramatic irony?

Answer 3

when the audience’s understanding or knowledge surpasses that of the character or characters on stage.

Question 4

what is the effect of dramatic irony?

Answer 4

heartbreak for the audience - the impact of dramatic irony for an audience, in that while we have the information, we cannot inform the characters or change their fate in any way.

Question 5

explain iambic pentameter

Answer 5

Iambic Pentameter translates to the ‘rhythm of five iambs.’ An iamb is a unit of two syllables – one soft, one strong – and sounds similar to a heartbeat. Many, many common English language words follow this iambic rhythm. Some examples are begin, hello, goodbye, police, delay, and away. In speaking the iamb, the emphasis is naturally on the second syllable, not the first.

Each line of iambic pentameter is ten syllables long, and rhythmically sounds like:

Duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh.

Question 6

what is the effect of iambic pentameter?

Answer 6

The rhythm of iambic pentameter helps us make sense of the words the characters speak, with important syllables stressed. When characters speak regular iambic pentameter, as in the examples above, we know that they are clear-headed and intentioned
- iambic pentameter is broken to indicate a character’s troubled state of mind
– when speech is uneven, with lines of varied syllables. it makes it much less clear about which words might have emphasis, reflecting characters’ state of mind - could be: uncertain, conflicted and unsure - not clear-headed

Question 7

how does Shakespeare use imagery? give an example

Answer 7

to create vivid visual images in the mind of his audience through words, particularly in his tragedies. Often, Shakespeare uses repetition of imagery, such as in Macbeth where images of blood abound, long after the literal blood has been spilled

Question 8

what is the purpose of a soliloquy?

Answer 8

give the opportunity to a character to share their true feelings and intentions, or thoughts and concerns that they have not shared with any other characters

Question 9

what is stichomythia?

Answer 9

Dialogue in which a single line spoken by one character is answered by another character’s line that plays off the language of the first –> One character will serve a line of dialogue to another character who returns a similar line of text, with some pointed changes

Question 10

why is stichomythia used?

Answer 10

to provide counterpoints between two characters and their argument.

Question 11

what is juxtaposition?

Answer 11

• meant to highlight the differences between the opposites that the characters are talking about
• the placement of two or more, often contrasting, elements side-by-side to highlight their differences, create irony, or deepen meaning

Question 12

give an example of juxtaposition within Hamlet. what is its effect?

Answer 12

While berating his mother, Hamlet juxtaposes positive images of his father and her former husband, King Hamlet, with grotesque images of Claudius, whom Gertrude has married. The effect of this is to emphasise the contrast Hamlet sees between the two men, and to horrify his mother.

Question 13

what is blank verse?

Answer 13

Lines in a poem that don’t rhyme, usually in iambic pentameter - five two-syllable feet per line

Question 14

why does shakespeare use blank verse?

Answer 14

-> makes memorizing lines a lot easier. The rhythm can be made to sound natural and not stilted, and it makes it easier to know where to put your emphasis and even how to pronounce words that have changed over time.
–< to symbolise high rank/status + respect for other characters

Question 15

what is prose?

Answer 15

a conversational flow rather than rhythmic meter or rhyme

Question 16

why does Shakespeare use prose?

Answer 16

usually in scenes of intimacy, introspection, and among the “lower” classes. A scene in a tavern is likely to be in prose –> but if you find a character in that tavern speaking in blank verse while everyone else is speaking in prose, it might tell you something about that character

Question 17

what is a simile?

Answer 17

A comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to create a vivid image. For example, as big as a whale, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Question 18

what is assonance?

Answer 18

Repetition of vowel sounds in consecutive or nearby words, such as ‘the sound was loud’.

Question 19

why does Shakespeare use assonance?

Answer 19

the patterns were used (like rhyme) as an aid to memory, actors used these sounds to help them memorise their lines. The rhythm created by the use of these patterns enables the words to flow without having to actively or consciously think about what words come next.

Question 20

why does Shakespeare use similes?

Answer 20

so that the less known may be made more intelligible by the light of that which is known better

Question 21

what is hyperbole?

Answer 21

Over-the-top exaggeration for effect

Question 22

why does Shakespeare use hyperbole?

Answer 22

to create emphasis/intensity

Question 23

what is oxymoron?

Answer 23

A phrase combining two or more contradictory terms, often used for emphasis - eg. ‘deafening silence’.

Question 24

what is a motif?

Answer 24

a recurring element—such as an image, sound, object, phrase, or action—that appears frequently throughout a literary work

Question 25

what is the purpose of a motif?

Answer 25

to draw attention to a theme. Attentive readers gain access to a theme or underlying message by paying close attention to the story’s motifs. In this way, motifs can engage readers on an intuitive level.

Question 26

what is anaphora?

Answer 26

The repetition of the same word, or words, at the start of successive lines or phrases.

Question 27

what is the purpose of anaphora?

Answer 27

it creates rhythm, evokes emotion, gives the text structure, and emphasises the repeated word or group of words.

Question 28

what is Caesura?

Answer 28

a break between words within a metrical foot --> it disrupts normal pentameter

Question 29

what is enjambment?

Answer 29

the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Question 30

what is the purpose of caesura?

Answer 30

- it hints at increased agitation - ending of though -> confusion -> heightened emotion e.g. anger/disbelief

Question 31

what is the purpose of enjambment?

Answer 31

--> To create a sense of anticipation in a poem, since the full meaning of enjambed lines only becomes clear by reading further in the poem. In this way, enjambment can also create a feeling of movement or confusion in a poem. --> To control the phrasing or rhythm of a poem by inserting pauses, in the form of line breaks, where they otherwise wouldn't be. Especially for poets who are sparing in their use of punctuation, the use of a line break in the place of punctuation can help to create a pause in the rhythm. --> To emphasize a meaningful word. Ending a line with a word that wouldn't normally receive emphasis can be a good way of shifting the reader's focus to particular words that require added weight in the poem. -->To create ambiguity or contradiction. Enjambment can give the reader mixed messages. The close of a line can suggest, even if only temporarily, a meaning or possibility that the following lines contradict. --> To create sentences of varied lengths and rhythms without having to vary line length.

Question 32

what is allusion?

Answer 32

a brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work, intended to evoke meaning without explicitly explaining it

Question 33

what is the purpose of using allusion?

Answer 33

to create relatability with the audience

Question 34

what is trochaic tetrameter?

Answer 34

a poetic meter consisting of four "trochees" per line, totaling eight syllables (DUM-da / DUM-da / DUM-da / DUM-da). A trochee is a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. It creates a "falling" or "sing-song" rhythm often used for chanting, magic, or driving, musical poetry, distinct from the "rising" rhythm of iambic pentameter.

Question 35

what is asyndeton?

Answer 35

s a rhetorical device and literary technique that deliberately leaves out conjunctions (such as "and", "or", "but") between words, phrases, or clauses in a series --> "I came, I saw, I conquered" and "Liberty, equality, fraternity".

Question 36

what is elision?

Answer 36

the dropping of a syllable, letter, or sound from a word or a phrase. In the opening examples, we see such dropping in you'll (you will), ne'er-do-well (never-do-well), gonna (going to)

Question 37

what is epiphora?

Answer 37

repeating words at the clauses' ends --> opposite to anaphora

Question 38

what is hendiadys?

Answer 38

it is used for emphasis, creating a slower, more intense, or "strange" poetic rhythm by breaking an idea into two parts --> e.g. Rather than saying "broken heart" (adjective + noun), one might say "the break and the heart".

Question 39

what is litotes?

Answer 39

a figure of speech that uses a negative to affirm a positive, usually as a form of understatement - - e.g. 'im not bad' instead of 'im good'

Question 40

what is metonymy?

Answer 40

a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated, such as using "the crown" to represent a monarch

Question 41

what is polysyndeton? give an example

Answer 41

a literary and rhetorical technique that uses multiple, repeated conjunctions (such as and, or, but, nor) in close succession, often separating items in a list or clauses --> Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers..."

Question 42

what is synecdoche? give an example

Answer 42

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in England lost by six wickets (meaning ‘the English cricket team’).