1. Prologue: Sets the Mood in the Minds of the Audience

Literary Devices

1. Prologue: Sets the mood in the minds of the audience

Example: The Prologue

2. Oxymoron: An expression containing two opposite or contrasting ideas

Example: Act I, scene i (lines 174-180) “O loving hate” “Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health”

3. Metaphor: A comparison between two items or events where one thing is another.

Example: Act I, scene iii (lines 80-90) Paris is compared to a book and then a flower.

4. Pun: A humorous play on words.

Example: Act I, scene iv - sole/soul Act III, scene i (lines 93-94) “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.”

5. Soliloquy: Lines spoken as if to oneself in order to allow the audience to know the thoughts of the speaker.

Example: Act II, scene iii (lines 1-31) - Friar Lawrence

6. Concealment: Character is seen by the audience, yet is hidden from other characters.

Example: Act II, scene i - Romeo is hiding from Benvolio and Mercutio

7. Aside: Allows the character to speak directly to the audience.

Example: 8. Tragedy: A drama where the protagonist must make a moral decision which leads to his/her downfall or death.

Example: “Romeo and Juliet” – the decision to go against the family feud leads to the death of the lovers.

9. Simile: A direct comparison using “like” or “as”.

Example: Act II, scene ii (line 165) “Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books.”

10. Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration for the purpose of emphasis.

Example: Act II, scene ii (line 2) “Juliet is the sun”

11. Allusion: The indirect reference to something.

Example: Act III, scene iii (lines 1-4) Romeo is married to bad luck.

12. Irony: A contrast between what is thought to be the truth and what the truth really is. Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something that the character does not.

Example: Act IV, scene ii – it is ironic that Capulet is grateful for Friar Lawrence’s help.

13. Foreshadowing: A warning or hint of what is to come.

Example: Act I, scene v (lines 95-96) “But this intrusion shall Now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall.”