ROMEOANDJULIETActIReadingandStudyGuide.docVIP

ROMEO AND JULIET - Act I Reading and Study Guide Ms. K. Skilliter – English 112 I. LITERARY TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the play. Oxymoron – bringing together two contradictory terms as in “wise fool” or “feather of lead” ? Example: In Act 1, Scene 1 Romeo uses several oxymora (the plural of “oxymoron”) to describe the relationship of love and hate. He says, “O brawling love, O loving hate.” Allusion – reference to historical or literary figure, event, or object ? Example: In Act 1, Scene 1 Romeo says that Rosaline “hath Dian’s wit.” He is alluding to Diana, goddess of chastity, who opposed love and marriage. In other words, Rosaline thinks like Diana and will not fall in love with Romeo. Pun – a play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings ? Example: In Act 1, Scene 4, lines 14-16, Romeo is feeling sad, so he does not want to dance. He says to the others, “You have dancing shoes / With nimble soles. I have a soul of lead / so stakes me to the ground I cannot move.” Imagery – representation in words of a vivid sensory experience ? Example: In Act 1, Scene 5, lines 55 and 56, Romeo uses imagery to describe Juliet’s beauty when he says, “So shows a dove trooping with crows” ? What comparison is Romeo making here? He is comparing her to the beauty of a dove walking among crows (the other women there who are ugly in comparison). Paradox – a statement that might seem to contradict itself but is nevertheless true; for example, “less is more.” ? Example: In Act 1, Scene 5, line 152, Juliet expresses a paradox when she speaks of Romeo, saying, “My only love sprung from my only hate.” This seems to be a contradictory statement, because love and hate are opposites. Iambic Meter – unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable Iambic Pentameter – five verse feet with each foot an iamb (a total of ten syllables) Monologue – a speech by one character in a