Faustus-related literary terms

Question	Answer
Allegory	a figurative representation within A narrative of abstract concepts by characters bearing their names e.g. the parade of the seven deadly sins in Act 2, scene 3
Binary	Having two elements; in critical theory, binary opposition is when a pair of terms, ideas or characters are opposed to each other
Closure	The sense of completeness and finality achieved by the endings of some literary works
Convention	A standard common feature of a particular genre of literature
Decorum	The tradition of using particular verse forms and kinds of diction for particular circumstances. It can be thought of as a sense of appropriate style
Denouement	French for 'unknotting'. The final unfolding of a plot: the point at which the audience's expectations, be they hopes or fears, about what will happen to the characters are finally satisfied
Despair	In the Early Modern period, 'despair' meant loss of faith in God, and was signified by suicide; the two were often treated as synonymous.
Dramatic irony	A feature of a play whereby the development of the plot allows the audience more information about what is happening than some of the characters themselves have. E.g. in the comic scenes in Doctor Faustus
Hubris	Greek for "pride, arrogance". The self-indulgent confidence that causes a tragic hero to ignore the decrees, laws and warnings of the gods, and therefore defy them to bring about his or her downfall

Resource summary

	Created by gregory.rolfe about 10 years ago