This document defines and provides examples of several literary devices used in drama: 1) A pun is a play on words that can have double meanings. A monologue is a speech by one character to others on stage. A soliloquy is similar but spoken when a character is alone. 2) An aside allows a character to address the audience with secrets unknown to other characters. Stage directions provide physical actions for actors. 3) The document also discusses the purpose of acts in Shakespearean tragedies and defines blank verse as unrhyming iambic pentameter used by Shakespeare.

1. BY: Angela HattabaughThe Language of Drama

2. What is a Pun? A pun is a play on words. It could be when words are used to have a double meaning. Usually puns are funny, but sometimes they are not. “Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoesWith nimble soles; I have a soul of leadSo stakes me to the ground I cannot move.”-RomeoFor more puns go to Funny Puns- These will make you laugh!

3. Monologue A monologue is a speech given by one character to the other characters who are on stage.Read this monologue from Monologue Archive. Romeo is saying it to Juliet and she doesn’t even know he’s there. How romantic!

4. SoliloquyA Soliloquy is similar to a monologue but it is spoken when only one character is on stage. Soliloquies are usually about the inner most feelings of the speaker.Click on Juliet’s Balcony Scene Soliloquy from YouTube to see a soliloquy in action.Spoken when the character is alone- usuallyGives the audience the inner most thoughts and feelings of the character

5. What’s an Aside?An aside is when a character stops the dialogue with other characters and looks directly at the audience.The character tells the audience thoughts or information that the other characters on stage don’t know.Hearing an aside from a character is like hearing a secret that no other characters know.Asides are different from monologues and soliloquies because they are very brief.

6. Why are there 5 Acts in Shakespeare’s Tragedies?Each Act in a Shakespearean Tradegy had a specific purpose. The diagram to the left tells you what each act does. Click on Five Act Play for a description of what each act does in a play.

7. What is Blank Verse?Blank verse is a poetic form in which Shakespeare wrote much of his plays.It is unrhyming iambic pentameter.For more information about iambic pentameter click on About.com:Shakespeare.The picture below isn’t in blank verse because it rhymes, but it’s in iambic pentameter. Take a look!

8. Stage DirectionsStage directions are inserted after certain lines in a play.They tell the physical actions of the actors…like if they are crying, laughing, or even fighting.The stage directions are the lines below that are in parentheses. Jul. Yea, noise? then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger! [Snatching ROMEO’S dagger. This is thy sheath; [Stabs herself.] there rest, and let me die. [Falls on ROMEO’S body and dies.

9. Fun Facts about ShakespeareHe wrote over 37 plays.He never went to college.He opened the Globe Theater.Queen Elizabeth was queen when Shakespeare wrote his plays.He married Anne Hathaway who was 8 years older than he was.For more facts about Shakespeare’s life, theater, and plays go to Absolute Shakespeare.Let’s meet back in the classroom to see what you learned.We Love Shakespeare!

10. BibliographyWorks Cited Appignanesi, Richard, Sonia Leong, and William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Amulet, 2007. Print. "Aside - Theatrical | Fiction Matters." Fiction Matters - News, Tips, and Tools for Writers. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.fictionmatters.com/guidebook/aside-theatrical/>. "Five Act Play." Computing Services for Faculty & Staff. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~deis/fiveact.html>. "Funniest Puns and Jokes (Pun of the Day)." Pun of the Day - Funny Puns, Jokes, One Liners, Word Play and Humor. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.punoftheday.com/cgi-bin/disppuns.pl?cat=0&ord=F&page=1?=0>. Jamieson, Lee. "Iambic Pentameter - How to Study Iambic Pentameter." Shakespeare ? Free Shakespeare Resources for Students and Teachers. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://shakespeare.about.com/od/shakespeareslanguage/a/i_pentameter.htm>. "Romeo and Juliet: Romeo's Monologue." Monologue Archive. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.monologuearchive.com/s/shakespeare_068.html>. "YouTube - Juliet's Soliloquy '68." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 30 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPoXbGu7D5Q>.