Literary Terminology Describing Drama
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AP English Literature and Composition › Literary Terminology Describing Drama
HENRY V: And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me (5)
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks (10)
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
(1600)
What literary device can be seen in line 4?
Anaphora
Antimetabole
Ellipsis
Polysyndeton
Aposiopesis
Explanation
The repetition of the beginning of each clause (“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) is an example of anaphora. Antimetabole, similar to chiasmus, is the repetition and transposition of words (e.g. Dr. Seuss’s “I meant what I said and I said what I meant”). Ellipsis is the deliberate omission of one or more words for the purpose of concision, while polysyndeton is the excessive use of conjunctions. Aposiopesis is the sudden, deliberate breaking-off of a line of writing or speech for deliberate effect (e.g. “When your father gets home…”).
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)
HENRY V: And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me (5)
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks (10)
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
(1600)
Which lines contain a parenthetical remark?
Lines 5-7
Lines 3-4
Lines 1-4
Lines 8-9
Lines 8-11
Explanation
In line 4, the speaker describes his audience as his “brothers.” Lines 5-7 then expand upon that thought, clarifying how this group of unrelated soldiers could be brothers: “For he today that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, / This day shall gentle his condition.” Thus, even though the lines don’t appear in parentheses, they can be considered a parenthetical remark.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry V (1600)
KING LEAR: Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanes, spout
Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the cocks!
You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires,
Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, (5)
Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world,
Crack Nature's moulds, all germains spill at once,
That makes ingrateful man!
(1606)
What literary device can be seen throughout this passage?
Apostrophe
Aphorism
Allegory
Stream of consciousness
Sarcasm
Explanation
Throughout the passage, the speaker directly addresses the storm. An aphorism is a pithy saying or adage (e.g. “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”). Allegory is the use of a story or extended metaphor to make a philosophical or moral point (e.g. George Orwell’s Animal Farm). Stream of consciousness is a style of writing designed to mimic the free-flowing thoughts of someone’s inner consciousness. Sarcasm is verbal irony and is often cutting or satirical.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)
ROMEO \[To a Servingman\]
1 What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand
2 Of yonder knight?
SERVANT
I know not, sir.
ROMEO
3 O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
4 It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
5 Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
6 Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
7 So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
8 As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
9 The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
10 And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
11 Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
12 For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
TYBALT
13 This, by his voice, should be a Montague.
14 Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave
15 Come hither, cover'd with an antic face,
16 To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?
17 Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,
18 To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.
In line 1 of this passage, which of the following groups of syllables forms an anapest?
"--dy is that"
"What lady"
"What la--"
"which doth"
"--rich the hand"
Explanation
An anapest is a metrical foot consisting of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. Some words that are examples of anapests include: "engineer" and "entertain."
Here is the line with stressed syllables in bold: "What lady is that which doth enrich the hand..." The only sequence of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable is "-dy is that"; this is an anapest.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's R omeo and Juliet (1595)
HAMLET: … What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appal the free,(5)
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing. No, not for a king, (10)
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain?
Lines 5-6 are an example of which literary device?
Parallelism
Parenthetical speech
Asyndeton
Colloquialism
Apostrophe
Explanation
In lines 5-6, we have the use of clauses with identical grammatical patterns, syntax, or meter (e.g. “She expected nothing, hoped for everything, and received something”). Parenthetical speech would be an aside, a remark set off by parentheses, em dashes, or other punctuation. Asyndeton denotes a lack of conjunction words (e.g. “I came, I saw, I conquered”). Colloquialism is the use of an informal, conversational, or regional bit of speech (e.g. “y’all” for “you all”). Apostrophe is a direct address to the reader (e.g. Herman Melville’s “Call me Ishmael”).
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. (1603)
PROLOGUE.
Now, luck yet sends us, and a little wit
Will serve to make our play hit;
(According to the palates of the season)
Here is rhime, not empty of reason.
… thus much I can give you as a token (5)
Of his play's worth, no eggs are broken,
… The laws of time, place, persons he observeth,
From no needful rule he swerveth.
All gall and copperas from his ink he draineth,
Only a little salt remaineth, (10)
Wherewith he'll rub your cheeks, till red, with laughter,
They shall look fresh a week after.
(1606)
Which of the following literary devices can be seen throughout the entire passage?
Anastrophe
Asides
Anecdote
Epiphany
Litotes
Explanation
In order to fit a fixed rhyme scheme and meter, the playwright has relied heavily on anastrophe, the intentional inversion of word order. An aside is a lengthy speech delivered to or for the benefit of the audience and not the other characters, while an anecdote is a short, often humorous story. Epiphany is a sudden realization that changes someone's life, and is often experienced by a character at the end of a short story. Litotes is the deliberate use of understatement or double negatives, the opposite of hyperbole.
Passage adapted from Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606)
MEPHISTOPHELES: Tut, Faustus,
Marriage is but a ceremonial toy;
And if thou lovest me, think no more of it.
I’ll cull thee out the fairest courtesans,
And bring them every morning to thy bed;(5)
She whom thine eye shall like, thy heart shall have,
Be she as chaste as was Penelope,
As wise as Saba, or as beautiful
As was bright Lucifer before his fall.
Here, take this book peruse it thoroughly: \[Gives a book.\] (10)
The iterating of these lines brings gold;
The framing of this circle on the ground
Brings whirlwinds, tempests, thunder and lightning;
Pronounce this thrice devoutly to thyself…
(1592)
What literary device can be found in line 2?
Metaphor
Simile
Allegory
Conceit
Paradox
Explanation
The answer choices here are largely similar. “Marriage is but a ceremonial toy” is a metaphor, a comparison that does not employ “like” or “as.” Don’t mistake this for a simile, a comparison using “like” or “as” (e.g. “the still pond is like a looking glass”). An allegory is an extended metaphor (e.g. a metaphor that takes up the entire passage), as is a conceit. Paradoxes are contradictory statements, something that seems impossible (e.g. Odysseus’ “I am no man” in The Odyssey).
Passage adapted from Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1592)
MEPHISTOPHELES: Tut, Faustus,
Marriage is but a ceremonial toy;
And if thou lovest me, think no more of it.
I’ll cull thee out the fairest courtesans,
And bring them every morning to thy bed;(5)
She whom thine eye shall like, thy heart shall have,
Be she as chaste as was Penelope,
As wise as Saba, or as beautiful
As was bright Lucifer before his fall.
Here, take this book peruse it thoroughly: \[Gives a book.\] (10)
The iterating of these lines brings gold;
The framing of this circle on the ground
Brings whirlwinds, tempests, thunder and lightning;
Pronounce this thrice devoutly to thyself…
(1592)
What other literary device can be found in lines 6-8?
Parallelism
Synecdoche
Hyperbole
Epistles
Litotes
Explanation
Here we have parallelism, the use of clauses with identical grammatical patterns, syntax, or meter (usually undertaken for emphasis or to achieve a pleasing sound). Synecdoche is a specific type of metonymy in which the real word for something is replaced by a word for a part of that thing (e.g. someone saying they need a “hand” when they really need the entire person’s help). Hyperbole is the use of extreme exaggeration (e.g. “this suitcase weighs a ton”). Litotes, on the other hand, is the deliberate use of understatement or double negatives. Epistles are letters, and epistolary is an adjective that describes the use of letters as a storytelling device in a larger narrative.
Passage adapted from Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1592)
KING LEAR: Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanes, spout
Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the cocks!
You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires,
Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, (5)
Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world,
Crack Nature's moulds, all germains spill at once,
That makes ingrateful man!
(1606)
What literary device can be found in lines 1-2?
Consonance
Assonance
Paradox
Parallelism
Epilogue
Explanation
In lines 1-2, we have a frequent repetition of the hard “k” sound. Specifically, we have “crack,” “cheeks,” “cataracts,” and “hurricanes.” This is an example of consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)
MEPHISTOPHELES: Within the bowels of these elements,
Where we are tortured and remain forever.
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed
In one self place, for where we are is hell,
And where hell is must we ever be. (5)
And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that is not heaven.
(1604)
Lines 4-5 contain an example of what literary device?
Chiasmus
Enjambment
Provocation
Imagery
Onomatopoeia
Explanation
In these lines we have an example of the relatively rare chiasmus: the use of a crisscross or reverse structure in a sentence or paragraph. Enjambment is a poetic technique in which the meaning and syntax of one line are carried over and finished in the next line (e.g. Robert Frost’s “And there's a barrel that I didn't fill / Beside it”). Imagery is language that calls upon vivid sensory descriptions (e.g. Gerard Manley Hopkins “a candycoloured… a gluegold-brown / Marbled river, boisterously beautiful”). Onomatopoeia is the use of a word that mimics the sound of the thing it is describing (e.g. “pop” or “buzz”).
Passage adapted from Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1604)