Macbeth

Shakespeare

Published: 1623
Setting: 11th century, Scotland
Genre: Tragedy

Name: ____________________________

English 10 Honors

1
2
Act One
Act I Vocabulary:
Ominous (adj) –
Desolate (adj) –
Dauntless (adj) –
Dismal (adj) –
Trifles (adj) –

Act I Soliloquies:
“The raven himself is hoarse” (Spoken by Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5)
“If it were done when 'tis done” (Spoken by Macbeth, Act 1 Scene7)

Macbeth was first performed at the Globe around 1607. This was during the reign of James I (1603-1625). It is
sometimes called the last of Shakespeare’s “four great tragedies” (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth). All
four plays focus on the causes and effects of evil.

Scene 1 – (12 lines) Due Date: _________________________

Macbeth is set in Medieval Scotland. This first scene takes place on a storm-swept waste, just before a battle.
Witches.

Close Reading of opening Scene

Act I, scene i: [An open place.] Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches

First Witch
When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch
When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.

Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun. 5

First Witch
Where the place?

Second Witch
Upon the heath.

Third Witch
There to meet with Macbeth.

First Witch
I come, Graymalkin!

Second Witch
Paddock calls.

Third Witch
Anon.

3
ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair: 10
Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Exeunt

1. If you were staging this scene, how would you set it? What colors? What lighting? Why? (Essentially,
what mood do you want to create?)

2. Notice how the speech of the witches is full of paradoxes. Identify one or two paradoxes. What is the
effect of using this technique?
Paradox - a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or
explained may prove to be well founded or true.

3. What is the overall effect of this opening scene?

Scene 2 – Duncan’s Camp at Forres Due Date: _________________________

The forces of Duncan, the King of Scotland, are fighting rebels led by the traitor, Macdonwald (the Thane of
Cawdor), and an invading army headed by the King of Norway. Two thanes support King Duncan, Macbeth and
Banquo. Both are also generals in Duncan’s army.

1. In Scene 1 the witches focus on the internal aspect of Macbeth, the “inner man.” In contrast, the soldiers
focus on his external aspect, his “deeds.” Are these two aspects of Macbeth parallel or out of sync?
Explain.

2. What do we learn of Macbeth and Banquo from the report of the battle? Provide evidence from the text.

4
 3. How is Macbeth to be rewarded for his support of the king?

4. Why is Macbeth marked for honor when Banquo apparently conducted himself with equal ability and
loyalty? Consider the logical reason as well as the dramatic reason.

Scene 3 – Macbeth’s First Appearance on Stage Due Date: _________________________

Elizabethans believed in witches and lived in daily fear of dark forces. They believed that some women sold their
souls to Satan in exchange for supernatural powers, such as the power to change into the shape of another
creature at will albeit a creature with some deformity. They believed that witches could make humans and
animals ill or even die. They also believed witches could control the weather. Those accused of witchcraft faced
terrible punishments. The Three Witches in Macbeth are also known as the “Weird Sisters.” “Weird” comes from
an Old English word meaning “fate,” so the Witches’ name connects them with the idea of destiny.

1. Notice the difference in the language used by the witches when speaking among themselves and when
speaking to Macbeth. Consider the dramatic purpose for this.

2. What are the three prophecies for Macbeth and Banquo?

1.

2.

3.

3. Why would the second prophecy be considered unnatural (or going against nature) for the Elizabethan
audience?

5
 4. How do each of the men receive the prophecies? Consider the contrast in their immediate reactions to the
witches. Also, consider how this informs the reader about the contrast in their moral predisposition.
Immediate Reactions:
a. Banquo –

b. Macbeth –

Moral Predisposition:
c. Banquo –

d. Macbeth –

5. Which prophecy is immediately fulfilled?

6. What is the dramatic purpose of Macbeth’s being made Thane of Cawdor at this particular time?

Scene 4 – A Day Later Due Date: _________________________

1. Notice examples of dramatic irony in this scene. What is significant about Macbeth’s entrance just as
Duncan speaks the words “an absolute trust”?

2. What speech of Duncan’s is a problem that Macbeth must solve?

6
 3. What is the dramatic purpose of Duncan’s naming Malcolm his successor at this time?

4. Is there anything about Malcolm that makes him suited to be king?

5. Examine lines 55-60. What is being foreshadowed? Macbeth – “Let not light see my black and deep
desires.”

Scene 5 – Inverness, Macbeth’s Castle Due Date: _________________________

Elizabethans were very concerned with fate, especially about what controlled it, and how they might influence it.
Many people believed in powers of the supernatural that could give them guidance in this view. Natural or
personal disasters were caused by evil powers. Because Macbeth pins his hopes on the words of the witches, he is
entering in a pact with the Devil.

1. When did Macbeth write the letter that opens this scene?

2. How does Lady Macbeth characterize her husband? She assigns him three characteristics.
1.

2.

3.

3. Does she divide the parts they must play that night evenly or does she undertake more than her share?
Why?

7
4. Look for the masking metaphor that occurs in lines 52-56. Explain.

5. What is the meaning of Lady Macbeth’s line, “I feel now the future in the instant.”? (line 61)

MACBETH ACT I, SCENE 5 SOLILOQUY

CLOSE READING
Directions: Read the soliloquy below. Paraphrase each section as you read. When you are finished, construct a
claim stating the purpose of the soliloquy.

Process:
1. Identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning.
2. Circle key words/phrases.
3. Look for the use of figurative language and other rhetorical devices.

Lady Macbeth:
The raven himself is hoarse 45

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan

Under my battlements. Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full

Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; 50

Stop up the access and passage to remorse,

That no compunctious visitings of nature

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between

The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,

And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, 55

Wherever in your sightless substances

8
 You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,

And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,

Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, 60

To cry 'Hold, hold!'

Claim: What is the purpose of the soliloquy?

Scene 6 – Macbeth’s Castle Due Date: _________________________

1. What is ironic about hearing the king praise the beauty of the setting? (Notice the dramatic irony in the
lyrical description of the castle, contrasting with the scene of horror that preceded.)

2. Contrast Lady Macbeth’s greeting to Duncan - its formality, stilted phrasing, emphasis on duty – with the
warmth of Duncan’s remarks. Notice how Shakespeare indicates Lady Macbeth’s feelings by this labored
rhythm of the lines.
Lady Macbeth Duncan

9
Scene 7 – Macbeth’s Castle Due Date: _________________________
1. Make a list of Macbeth’s reasons against murdering the king. What is the one great reason he does not
consciously consider?

2. How does Lady Macbeth try to recall him to a “fixed” purpose? (As she promised, Lady Macbeth shows
her skill in chastising the valor of her tongue; notice the range of appeals.)

3. Compare and Contrast Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s characters. Consider the following:
a. Is one character more logical than the other?
b. Is one more sensitive to the feelings of others?
c. In what sense, if any, do they have a similar nature?

Lady Macbeth Macbeth

4. Identify the masking metaphor in this scene.

Identify motifs in Act I.

Motif--a recurring image, idea, or symbol that helps develop a theme.

10
MACBETH ACT I, SCENE 7 SOLILOQUY
CLOSE READING
Directions: Read the soliloquy below. Paraphrase each section as you read. When you are finished, construct a
claim stating the purpose of the soliloquy.

Process:
1. Identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning.
2. Circle key words/phrases.
3. Look for the use of figurative language and other rhetorical devices.

Macbeth:
If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here, 5
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'ld jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice 10
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door, 15
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off; 20
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur 25
To prick the sides of my intent, but only

11
 Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.

Claim: What is the purpose of the soliloquy?

Act Two
Vocabulary:
Augment (v) –
Apparition (n) –
Palpable (adj) –
Stealthy (adj) –
Beguile (v) –

Act II Soliloquies:
“Is this a dagger which I see before me” (Spoken by Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1)
“Here’s a knocking indeed” (Spoken by the Porter, Act 2, Scene 3)

Scene 1 - Macbeth’s Castle a Few Hours Later

Summary:

1. In the brief conversation between Banquo and Macbeth at the beginning of this scene, what do you learn
about their regard for each other? How are both further characterized?

2. Explain the apparition that Macbeth sees.

12
3. What does Macbeth’s soliloquy reveal about his mental state? Is he becoming mentally stronger or
weaker than he appeared to be in Act I? (lines 41-69)

MACBETH ACT II, SCENE 1 SOLILOQUY

CLOSE READING
Directions: Read the soliloquy below. Paraphrase each section as you read. When you are finished, construct a
claim stating the purpose of the soliloquy.

Process:
1. Identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning.
2. Circle key words/phrases.
3. Look for the use of figurative language and other rhetorical devices.

Macbeth:
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation, 50
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? /
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use. 55
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs 60
Thus to mine eyes. / Now o'er the one halfworld
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's offerings, and wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf, 65

13
 Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. / Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout, 70
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.

A bell rings

I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.

Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell 75
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.

Claim: What is the purpose of the soliloquy?

Scene 2- Duncan’s Murder

Summary:

1. Why didn’t Lady Macbeth commit the murder?

14
 2. Compare and contrast the way Lady Macbeth and Macbeth react to the murder. Give textual evidence.

Macbeth Lady Macbeth

3. Is there anything significant in the fact that nowhere throughout the scene does either blame the other for
the terrible situation in which they find themselves?

4. How does Macbeth’s internal conflict come to a turning point in this scene?

Scene 3 - Discovery of Duncan’s Murder

Summary:

1. Who does the drunken porter imagine he is? His comments add some humor to a very dark scene, but
they also may be indicators of the evil that is overtaking the play. Explain.

2. How do Macduff’s and Banquo’s reactions differ when the King’s murder is discovered?

15
3. How does Macbeth explain why he killed Duncan’s servants? Was this a wise move?

4. Upon whom is Shakespeare turning all our sympathy? Why?

5. How do Duncan’s sons react to their father’s death? Explain.

6. Does anyone at the end of the scene have any definite ideas of who has killed the king?

MACBETH ACT II, SCENE 3 SOLILOQUY

CLOSE READING
Directions: Read the soliloquy below. Paraphrase each section as you read. When you are finished, construct a
claim stating the purpose of the soliloquy.

Process:
1. Identify unfamiliar words and determine their meaning.
2. Circle key words/phrases.
3. Look for the use of figurative language and other rhetorical devices.

Knocking within. Enter a Porter

Porter
Here's a knocking indeed! If a
man were porter of hell-gate, he should have
old turning the key.

Knocking within

16
Knock,
knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of 5
Beelzebub? Here's a farmer, that hanged
himself on the expectation of plenty: come in
time; have napkins enough about you; here
you'll sweat for't.

Knocking within

Knock, 10
knock! Who's there, in the other devil's
name? Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
swear in both the scales against either scale;
who committed treason enough for God's sake,
yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come
in, equivocator. 15

Knocking within

Knock,
knock, knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an
English tailor come hither, for stealing out of
a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may
roast your goose. 20

Knocking within

Knock, knock; never at quiet! What are you? But

this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-porter
it no further: I had thought to have let in
some of all professions that go the primrose
way to the everlasting bonfire. 25

Knocking within

Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.

17
 Opens the gate

Claim: What is the purpose of the soliloquy?

Scene 4 - Outside Macbeth’s Castle

Summary:

1. What is the dramatic value of the Old Man in this scene?

2. Is there any symbolism in what he says about the mouse hunting owl killing the falcon, and in Duncan’s
horses acting so against nature?

3. When Ross questions Macduff, Macduff‘s answers are evasive. Why?

4. Who does Macduff believe killed Duncan? Provide evidence to support your conclusion.

18
MACBETH SCENE SUMMARIES

ACT III
Macbeth plans to overturn the witches' prophecy that Banquo's sons will become kings by sending two murders to
kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance. (i.) Macbeth no longer needs Lady Macbeth's involvement and bids her be
"innocent of the knowledge" of his decisions. (ii.) A third murderer, obviously not known by the other two, joins
them, and although Banquo is slain, Fleance escapes. (iii.) At the banquet, Macbeth is terrified by the bloody
ghost of Banquo. Since no one else sees the apparition, Lady Macbeth attempts to excuse his behavior and
eventually has to end the banquet. Macbeth determines to visit the witches again. (iv.) Suspicion of Macbeth is
mounting, and Macduff joins Malcolm in England. (vi.)

ACT IV
The witches show Macbeth three apparitions which warn him to beware Macduff, promise him that "none of
woman born shall harm Macbeth," and assure him he will remain safe until Birnam Wood moves. He feels
comforted by these prophecies without seeing their double meaning but is shaken by a vision of Banquo and his
eight descendants. (i.) Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty to Scotland, and they plan strategy with English forces to
oust Macbeth. (ii.) Meanwhile, Macbeth has Lady Macduff and all her children slain. (iii.)

ACT V
Lady Macbeth, while sleepwalking, reveals her knowledge of the deaths of Duncan, Lady Macduff, and Banquo.
Her continual washing of her hands cannot ease her dread or make her feel cleansed. The doctor and attendant
realize they cannot help her. (i.) Macbeth is too involved with battle preparations against Malcolm and English
and Scottish troops to spend much time considering his wife's dreams. (iii.) When he hears of Lady Macbeth's
death, he contemplates that life is "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." He reassures himself with the
predictions only to see the woods advance when Malcolm's soldiers camouflage themselves with boughs from
Birnam Wood. (v.) Macbeth sees the ambiguity of the predictions but goes bravely into battle. He kills young
Siward who dies fearlessly (vii.) and then faces Macduff who tells him that he was not "of woman born" but was
"untimely ripped" from his mother's womb. Finally realizing the true implications of the predictions, Macbeth
refuses to yield to Macduff and face capture and ridicule. He confronts Macduff and bravely fights to the death.
Macduff displays the "usurper's cursed head" and acclaims Malcolm the new King of Scotland. (viii.)

19
 Aristotle
 384-322 BCE
 one of the most influential
western philosophers
 wrote on logic, nature,
psychology, ethics, politics,
and art
 a student of Plato and a tutor
of Alexander the Great

Aristotle’s Poetics
 circa 335 BCE
 considered the first
systematic critical theory in
the world
 for nearly 2,000 years it has
inspired the thoughts of
writers, philosophers and
critics
 Poetics was not widely
influential during it's time,
but during the Age of
Enlightenment, Aristotle's
views shaped the concept
of tragedy.

20
 Elements of Greek Tragedy
A tragedy is a serious play that usually moves from harmony to discord with a sad or
disastrous ending. The protagonist (tragic hero) is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow,
especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with
unfavorable circumstances. (Recounts an individual’s - the tragic hero’s - death or downfall,
beginning high and ending low.)

 Tragedy received its name from how it was performed. “Tragedy” is derived from the
word tragos which means “goat.” A tragedy had actors who wore goatskins and danced
like goats. The best performers were given a kid goat as a prize. Subjects of Greek plays
included: violence, social and ethical issues, family, war, murder, lust, and betrayal.

Element #1: Plot (mythos)

The plot is how the action is arranged (unity of action/cause and effect) – Each of the incidents
in the play is a part of a tightly constructed cause-and-effect chain. The ideal Greek play should
have a complex plot involving a change in fortune for the main character. Reversals,
recognitions, and suffering are common features.

1. Exposition consists of early material introducing the theme(s), establishing the

setting, and introducing the major characters and sometimes early hints of the
coming conflict.
a. Incentive Moment – The beginning; must start the cause and effect chain.
2. Rising Action is an increase in tension or uncertainty developed out of the conflict
the protagonist faces.
3. Traditionally situated in the third act of a play, the climax is the moment of greatest
tension, uncertainty, or audience involvement. The climax is also called the crisis.
4. During the falling action, the earlier tragic force causes the failing fortunes of the
hero. This culminates in the final catastrophe and invokes catharsis (emotional
purgation) in the audience.
5. The Denouement is the resolution. After the suspense ends, the denouement
unwinds previous tension and helps provide closure.

***According to Aristotle, the plot may be either simple or complex, although complex is better.
Simple plots have only a “change of fortune” (catastrophe). Complex plots have both “reversal
of intention” (peripeteia) and “recognition” (anagnorisis) connected with the catastrophe. Both
peripeteia and anagnorisis turn upon surprise. Aristotle explains that a peripeteia occurs when
a character produces an effect opposite to that which he intended to produce, while an
anagnorisis “is a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the
persons destined for good or bad fortune.” He argues the best plots combine these to as part of
their cause-and effect chain (i.e., the peripeteia leads directly to the anagnorisis); this in turn
creates the catastrophe, leading to the final “scene of suffering.” (Source:
http://www2.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html)

21
Peripeteia [per-uh-pi-tahy-uh, -tee-uh] – (Greek for "sudden change") The sudden reversal of
fortune in a story, play, or any narrative in which there is an observable change in direction. In
tragedy, this is often a change from stability and happiness toward the destruction or downfall
of the protagonist.

Anagnorisis [an-ag-nawr-uh-sis, -nohr-] – The moment of tragic recognition in which the

protagonist realizes some important fact or insight, especially a truth about himself, human
nature, or his situation. Aristotle argues that the ideal moment for anagnorisis in a tragedy is
the moment of peripeteia, the reversal of fortune. Critics often claim that the moment of tragic
recognition is found within a single line of text, in which the tragic hero admits to his lack of
insight or asserts the new truth he recognizes. This passage is often called the "line of tragic
recognition."

Catastrophe [kuh-tas-truh-fee] – The catastrophe often spirals outward. Not only does the hero
suffer for an earlier choice, but that choice causes suffering to those the hero loves or wants to
protect. In Greek tragedy, an ultimate suffering commonly placed before the resolution.

Element #2: Character (ethos)

The protagonist of a Greek tragedy is called the tragic hero. He is usually a person who holds a
position of honor or high status (often of noble birth) that may have great influence in his or her
society. The tragic hero is good person, but he is not perfect. Aristotle, a famous Greek
philosopher, says that the tragic hero should have a flaw and/or make some mistake either
through ignorance or from a conviction that some greater good will be served.

This “mistake” is called hamartia [hah-mahr-tee-uh]. The hero need not die at the end, but
he/she must undergo a change in fortune. In addition, the tragic hero may achieve some
revelation or recognition about human fate, destiny, and the will of the gods. Aristotle quite
nicely terms this sort of recognition “a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of love or
hate.”

Element #3: Thought (Dianoia)

Thought reveals the theme (main idea/message) of a play. According to Aristotle, it is found
“where something is proved to be or not to be, or a general maxim [truth, principle, or rule of
conduct] is enunciated.”

Element #4: Diction (lexis)

The language of the play should be well-chosen to enhance the meaning and message of the
work. According to Aristotle, diction is “the expression of the meaning in words” which are
proper and appropriate to the plot, characters, and end of the tragedy.
 Metaphor- a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two
unlike things that actually have something important in common.

22
 Element #5: Melody/Song (melos)
The songs and dancing of the chorus should be an integral part of the play. Aristotle argues that
the Chorus should be fully integrated into the play like an actor; choral odes should not be
“mere interludes,” but should contribute to the unity of the plot.

Element #6: Spectacle (opsis)

Although the visual presentation of the play was considered a key element, Aristotle viewed it
as the “least artistic” element of tragedy. Think of a movie which is all visuals and action and
very little plot, and you’ll understand what Aristotle means.

Conduct research to determine the difference between the Greek tragedy and the Renaissance tragedy.

Source(s):

23
 Drama: An Overview
Drama: The term is derived from the Greek word “dran” which means “to do” or “to act.”
Dramatist or playwright: The writer of the play.

Text of a play:
1. Dialogue – Conversation of two or more characters.
2. Monologue – A long, uninterrupted speech (in a narrative or drama) that is spoken
in the presence of other characters. Unlike a soliloquy and an aside, a monologue is
heard by other characters.
3. Soliloquy – A speech, usually lengthy, in which a character, alone on stage,
expresses his or her thoughts aloud. The soliloquy is a very useful dramatic device,
as it allows the dramatist to convey a character’s most intimate thoughts and feelings
directly to the audience.
4. Aside – An actor’s speech, directed to the audience that is not supposed to be heard
by other actors on stage. An aside is used to let the audience know what a character
is about to do or what he or she is thinking. (It allows for humor, foreshadowing, and
audience involvement.)
5. Stage Directions – Notes in the script of a play to tell the actors when to come on
stage or go off, and how to say the lines:
a. Vocal expression
b. Body language
c. Stage appearance
d. Lighting, etc.

Performance: Creates the movement, immediacy, and excitement of drama.

Actors: bring the characters and dialogue to life through the use of:
1. Blocking – Patterns of movement on stage.
2. Stage Business – Gestures or movement that keep production active, dynamic, and
often funny.

Types of Drama (Greek origins, 6th century B.C., ancient Athens)

1. Comedy – A light-hearted play with a happy ending. Allows for more freedom of
speech - usually ends in success, happiness, marriage for the protagonist.
2. Tragedy – A serious play with a sad or disastrous ending. The main character is
brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic
flaw, a moral weakness, or an inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
(Recounts an individual’s - the tragic hero’s - death or downfall, beginning high and
ending low.)
a. Tragic Hero – Someone of noble birth who may have great influence in his or
her society; this hero has one or more fatal flaws that lead(s) to his or her
downfall.

24
 Additional Drama Terms
Comic Relief – A humorous scene, incident, or speech that relieves the overall emotional
intensity of a scene.

Dramatic Irony – The dramatic effect achieved when the audience perceives something
that the characters in the play do not know. (The audience is more aware than the characters
in the work.)

Foil – A character whose attitude or personality is in sharp contrast to those of another

character in the same work (opposites).

Foreshadow – To give a hint or suggestion early in the play of something that will happen
later in the play.

Motif – A reoccurring image that may contribute to a theme.

Literary & Rhetorical Devices

Rhetoric (n.) – the study of the effective use of language
Rhetorical (adj.) – used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style or effect

1. Alliteration – The repetition of the initial letter or sound in two or more words in a
line of verse.

2. Allusion – A brief reference, within a work, to something outside the work that the
reader or audience is expected to know.

3. Apostrophe – A figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent, dead or

imaginary person, or some abstraction as if it were alive and present and was able to
reply.

4. Diction – the writer’s choice of words (word choice). Diction can be described as
formal, informal, technical, common, abstract, concrete, literal or figurative, etc.
 Connotation – the emotional associations surrounding a word or phrase, as
opposed to its literal meaning or denotation (dictionary definition).

5. Equivocation – Commonly known as “doublespeak,” equivocation (pronounced ee-

QUIV-oh-KAY-shun) is the use of vague language to hide one’s meaning or to avoid
committing to a point of view. It’s often used by dishonest politicians who want to
seem like they agree with everyone. It can also be used in legal contexts, for
example where a defendant wants to avoid admitting guilt, but also does not want to
lie openly – so they use equivocation to escape the true answer. The two essential
elements of equivocation are:
 Ambiguous language
 An effort (conscious or unconscious) to deceive others

25
6. Figurative Language – language that is used in a non-literal way to express a
suitable relationship between essentially unlike things.
 Hyperbole – An exaggeration for the sake of emphasis and not to be taken literally.
 Idiom – a popular figurative expression (not to be taken literally); expression
popular to one’s culture)
 Metaphor – Comparison of two unlike objects or things.
 Personification – Giving the attributes of a human being to an animal, an
object, or an idea.
 Simile – A comparison of two unlike objects or things where one object is
said to be like another. The words “like” or “as” are used to connect the
objects.

7. Imagery – The use of words to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses:
sight (visual sense), touch (tactile sense), smell (olfactory sense), hearing (auditory
sense), and taste (gustatory sense). The writer uses diction with a specific
connotation, descriptive adjectives, vivid verbs, and figurative language to create
imagery.

8. Juxtaposition – The act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side,
especially for comparison or contrast.

9. Metonymy – Substituting the name of one object for another object closely
associated with it. Example: “The pen [writing] is mightier that the sword [fighting].”

10. Motif – A standard theme, element, or dramatic situation that recurs in various
works.

11. Onomatopoeia – A word that imitates the sound it represents.

12. Oxymoron – A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are

combined

13. Paradox – A statement that seems to be contradictory but that might be true when
considered from a particular perspective.

14. Pun – A play on words. Involves words that sound the same, but have different
meanings.

15. Symbolism – The act or an instance of using a person, object, situation, or action
which operates on two levels, the literal and the abstract (symbolic).

16. Synecdoche [si-nek-duh-kee] – Using one part of an object to represent the entire
object. Example: referring to a car simply as “wheels.”

26