AQA GCSE English Literature key terms

A major division of a play, usually containing several scenes.

The capacity to make choices and act independently. Estella’s decisions raise questions about how far upbringing restricts personal freedom.

Evidence that a person was elsewhere when a crime took place. Thaddeus Sholto’s movements are accounted for, disproving Jones’s accusation.

A feeling of separation from other people or exclusion from their society.

A narrative that can be read as representing another situation or set of ideas beyond its literal events.

A connection between people or families that can strengthen their wealth, influence or social position; marriage can create such a connection.

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginnings of nearby words.

An indirect reference to another text, story, person or event that adds meaning through the connection.

The presence of more than one possible meaning or interpretation.

A strong desire to achieve something. In Great Expectations, Pip’s ambitions include education, social advancement and winning Estella’s love.

Mixed or conflicting feelings towards someone or something.

A moment of recognition in which a tragic character understands a crucial truth about their situation or errors.

A comparison that uses a relationship between things to explain or argue for a similar relationship elsewhere.

An explanation of how a writer’s choices create meanings and effects, rather than simply a description of what happens.

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginnings of successive clauses or lines.

Language that compares a person or their behaviour to an animal, suggesting qualities such as instinct, aggression or vulnerability.

The principles developed from old Major’s teachings, including opposition to human domination and equality among animals.

A feeling of hostility or strong resentment towards someone.

A character who opposes the central protagonist or obstructs their aims. Jonathan Small is an antagonist in Holmes’s investigation.

A sudden movement from an exciting or important expectation to a disappointing or diminished outcome, such as opening the recovered chest and finding nothing inside.

Prejudice, hostility or discrimination directed towards Jewish people.

A contrast between opposing ideas, often expressed through a balanced sentence pattern.

A lack of interest or concern. Duffy questions the public’s indifference towards suffering that does not directly affect their lives.

A short, memorable statement expressing a general insight or principle.

Addressing someone absent, something non-human or an abstract idea as though it could hear and respond.

A person who prepares and sells medicines; Romeo buys poison from one in Mantua.

A supernatural figure or vision that appears before someone. In Act 4, the apparitions deliver warnings and predictions to Macbeth.