Literary Techniques (Leaving Cert Classical Studies): Flashcards
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Practise the cards
15 cards from this deck
What is dramatic irony in Oedipus Rex?
What is dramatic irony in Oedipus Rex?
Audience knows what characters don't, creates tension
What audience knows about Oedipus from start
What audience knows about Oedipus from start
He's the murderer he seeks & son of parents he fled
Tiresias's blindness symbolises
Tiresias's blindness symbolises
True spiritual vision & knowledge of divine will
Oedipus's sight symbolises
Oedipus's sight symbolises
Metaphorical blindness to truth about his identity
The crossroads symbolises
The crossroads symbolises
Fate vs free will, crucial moment of choice/destiny
The plague symbolises
The plague symbolises
Moral pollution spreading from Oedipus's hidden crimes
Anagnorisis definition
Anagnorisis definition
Recognition or moment of discovery in tragedy
Peripeteia definition
Peripeteia definition
Reversal of fortune in tragedy
Main function of the Chorus
Main function of the Chorus
Moral & religious voice of Thebes, represents community
Purpose of messenger speeches
Purpose of messenger speeches
Report offstage violence, maintain dramatic unities
Stychomythia definition
Stychomythia definition
Rapid single-line exchanges creating tension & pace
Foreshadowing's effect in Oedipus Rex
Foreshadowing's effect in Oedipus Rex
Creates sense of impending doom & dramatic tension
Pathos definition
Pathos definition
Emotional impact creating pity & fear in audience
When do recognition & reversal occur in Oedipus Rex
When do recognition & reversal occur in Oedipus Rex
Simultaneously when Oedipus learns his true identity
Oedipus's self-blinding represents
Oedipus's self-blinding represents
Finally achieving self-knowledge that eluded him