AQA GCSE English Literature key terms

A sentence stating the main argument of a paragraph and showing how it contributes to the essay’s answer.

A system of government that seeks extensive control over public and private life, suppressing opposition and independent thought.

A play that moves towards catastrophe, suffering and death, often exposing the interaction between human choices and forces beyond individual control.

A weakness or error that contributes to a tragic character’s downfall. Macbeth’s unchecked ambition can be interpreted as his tragic flaw.

A central character whose downfall involves significant errors or weaknesses and invites both sympathy and criticism.

A reversal in which an action or belief produces a disastrously different result from the one intended or expected. Cassius dies believing Titinius has been captured, although Titinius has actually been welcomed by friends.

Drama combining serious threats or suffering with comic elements and an ending that avoids tragic catastrophe.

Investigation that reaches beyond the physical world into questions of spirit and existence. Hyde calls Jekyll’s work “transcendental medicine” in Chapter 9; Jekyll describes his studies as tending towards “the mystic and the transcendental” in Chapter 10.

The punishment of sending a convicted person overseas to a penal settlement.

Betrayal of one’s sovereign or country.

An elected Roman official responsible for representing and protecting the interests of the common people.

A payment made by one state or ruler to another as a sign of submission.

A group of three parallel words, phrases or clauses used for emphasis or rhetorical effect.

A member of a three-man ruling alliance. Antony, Octavius and Lepidus become Rome's triumvirs in Julius Caesar.

Government or control by three people. After Caesar’s death, Antony, Octavius and Lepidus form a triumvirate.

A metrical pattern with four feet, normally moving from a stressed syllable to an unstressed one. Shakespeare often shortens the final foot in the witches’ chanting.

A cave-dweller. Utterson’s word “troglodytic” suggests that Hyde resembles a supposedly primitive human.

A person who holds or manages property on behalf of someone else, rather than treating it as their own.

A point at which a narrative changes direction significantly. Snowball’s expulsion changes Animal Farm from a society with public debate into one governed by Napoleon’s orders.

Cruel or oppressive use of power by a ruler.

A ruler who exercises power oppressively or cruelly.

The concentration of a play's action within one location or closely connected setting.

The concentration of a play's events within a short period, conventionally no more than a day.

A speaker whose account cannot be accepted without questioning their biases, motives or interpretation of events.

A voice whose account or judgements cannot be accepted uncritically because they are distorted, misleading or limited.

Love that is not returned by the person who receives it.

A character who does not appear on stage but whose actions or experiences influence the drama.