HAMLETELEMENTS OF

TRAGEDY

Literary Terms

ASIDEPrivate words that a character in a play speaks to the audience or another character onstage.

FOILA character who sets off another character by strong contrast.

SOLILOQUYA speech in which a character stands alone onstage and expresses his or her private thoughts or feelings.

THEMEThe central idea or insight of a work of literature.

TRAGIC HEROA noble character whose tragic flaw leads to his downfall.

ANTAGONISTThe character or forces which opposes the protagonist (main character).

IN MEDIAS RESThe technique of starting a story in the middle and then using flashback to tell what happened earlier.

IMAGERYLanguage which appeals to the senses.

IRONYA contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality.

METAPHORA figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using like or as.