Lit Terms and Examples

1. Literary Terms Romeo and Juliet Edition

2. Couplet A pair of rhyming verse lines. Example: “The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.” (Romeo and Juliet 1 (Prologue)) Final Rhyming Couplet – End of scenes or soliloquy.

3. Oxymoron Two contradictory words brought together to leave a lasting impression. Example: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” (Romeo and Juliet 2.1)

4. Alliteration Repetition of consonants. Example: “The day to cheer and night's dank dew to dry” (Romeo and Juliet 2.3)

5. Imagery descriptive language that evokes sensory experience. Example: “The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, Chequeringthe eastern clouds with streaks of light, And flecked darkness like a drunkard reels From forth day's path and Titan's fiery wheels” (Romeo and Juliet 2.3)

6. Irony Dramatic Audience is aware of certain facts that the characters are ignorant of. Example: Juliet father agrees to allow Paris to marry Juliet, but the audience already knows Juliet is married to Romeo. Verbal Saying one thing but meaning another thing. Example: Juliet says to her mother: “I will not marry yet; and, when I do, I swear, It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris.” (Romeo and Juliet 3.5)