Romeo and Juliet Lit Terms

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Across
  1. 3. Four lines that rhyme at every other line. e.g. "Thus, from my lips by thine my sin is purged" "Then have my lips the sin that they have took" "Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged," "Give me my sin again." "You kiss by the book"
  2. 7. A character delivers a memorized, formal speech. e.g. the famous opening poem of the play is known as this.
  3. 9. A line of poetry that contains 10 syllables, 5 stressed (every-other-one) e.g. But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
  4. 11. Placing side-by-side two characters who are strikingly different in order to make both of their personalities stand out. Mercutio is a troublemaker and jokes a lot, Benevolio is serious and responsible, bringing out both their characters when side by side.
  5. 12. A long play is divided into these "chapters," each one covering a large block of action. e.g. Act I-V each covering significant events of the story (Meeting of Romeo and Juliet, Their wedding, Their death, etc.)
  6. 13. A character who changes as a result of his motives or situation. e.g. Mercutio who is often joking and in a good mood turns sour and to hatred while dying.
  7. 15. The plot structure of a dramatic work: exposition, rising action, turning point, falling action, and resolution. e.g. the opening lines explaining the setting and the fight between the houses' servants and the first scene with Romeo introducing characters (exposition). The meeting of Juliet and Romeo, the wedding. (rising action), Romeo killing himself (turning point) and the resolving of conflicts between houses (resolution).
  8. 17. A play on words; a double meaning. e.g. as Mercutio is dying he says "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." A play on words where grave often means quiet or serious and also dead at the same time.
  9. 18. A character speaks aloud to himself. e.g. Romeo: Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear. Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows. As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
  10. 19. A 14-line poem that rhymes e.g. The dialogue between Romeo and Juliet before they kiss for the first time is in the structure of this.
  11. 20. Two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme at the end of the poem. e.g. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. / It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Down
  1. 1. The use of hints or clues for events that will occur later in the plot. e.g. Romeo having the feeling that going to the party where he meets Juliet will result in his death.
  2. 2. The main character's final attempt to resolve the conflict. e.g. Romeo deciding to kill himself to die alongside Juliet, it resolves the conflict, and heads the story to a resolution.
  3. 4. At first a seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense statement and is yet perhaps true. the Friar says "The Earth that's nature's mother is her tomb; What is her burying grave, that is her womb" saying that nature's birth is also its death, and its death is its birth, which is true for that life grows from death and the earth which provides life also provides a tomb for death.
  4. 5. "Out of date" language. e.g. "two-and-forty hours" meaning forty-two hours.
  5. 6. Device whereby the audience understands more (something important) than a character in the play. e.g. Nurse and the Capulets think Juliet is dead while we know she is not.
  6. 8. The explaining of background information. e.g. The opening poem and the street brawl and Romeo's introduction.
  7. 10. A line of poetry written in un-rhyming iambic pentameter e.g. Take him and cut him out in little stars, / And he will make the face of heaven so fine / That all the world will be in love with night / And pay no worship to the garish sun."
  8. 12. Words spoken by a character in an undertone not intended to be heard by other characters on stage. e.g. "Is the law on our side if I say "Ay"? - Sampson to exclusively Gregory.
  9. 14. an implied or indirect reference to someone, place, event, or piece of literature. Mercutio says to Romeo that he is like "Young Abraham Cupid" saying he the figure of love, old like Abraham from the bible and young like Cupid.
  10. 16. A long, uninterrupted speech spoken in the presence of others. e.g. Mercutio's Queen Mab Monologue in the presence of his friends