Dramatic Irony- A dramatic device that allows the audience to be aware of things that some (or all) of the characters in a text do not. For example, in act I scene 4 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth speaks in an aside (to the audience) telling us that he is going to have dispense with the King’s son Malcom in order to become King himself.
Pathetic fallacy- A dramatic device that allows the mood of the characters in the text appearing in the weather of the text. An example of pathetic fallacy in Shakespeare’s Macbeth in act I scene 6 is when the King comes to Macbeth’s castle and they have just won the war and the weather is nice and calm.
Paradox- A dramatic device that allows things that don’t happen at the same time, happen at the same time. An example of paradox in Shakespeare’s Macbeth in act I scene 1 is when the witches quoted “fair is foul and foul is fair” this is paradox because they cannot happen at the same time.
Metaphysics- Is an abstract concept that allows things that have no basis in reality to exist and we cannot prove it to being real. An example of a metaphysical creature would be the witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth in act I scene 3 the witches vanish, the reason why this is metaphysical is because we cannot prove them to be real and also they vanish in thin air when no physical thing can do that.
October 11, 2016 at 11:32 pm
These are great definitions, Hasan (not so much summaries). Do you mind adding a specific quotation to each one as well?
Cheers.
CW
October 14, 2016 at 9:37 pm
Ms Critchley and I were having a pizza and I saw you were doing some work and we were having bets on whose work you were doing.
Cheers for helping me be right.
And thanks also for acting on the feedback. What a proper scholar.