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GCSE English Literature · key term
Quick, inventive intelligence expressed through clever language, often involving jokes, comparisons and unexpected replies.
Used by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas
Paper 1
Revise: BeatriceThe repeated title mocks social rank without moral substance. This is no longer simply affectionate sparring with Benedick: wit exposes the hollowness of supposedly honourable men.
Cleverness expressed through inventive language, quick replies and wordplay.
Support alternative readings with evidence. For the ending, weigh the language of surrender against her continuing wit and Benedick’s changed behaviour.
Identify who speaks and the situation before analysing a quotation: Don Pedro’s comment about losing wit mocks Benedick, not women.
Evaluate alternative readings with evidence. For the ending, weigh Beatrice’s silence against her continuing wit and Benedick’s willingness to change.
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Paper 1, Paper 2
Quick, inventive intelligence expressed through clever language, jokes and verbal replies.
Revise: BeatriceYet Shakespeare gradually reveals that her sharp tongue belongs to someone capable of vulnerability, love and fierce loyalty. Her development is not simply a movement from unpleasantness to sweetness: the wit remains, while its emotional purpose becomes clearer.
The ability to express an intelligent or perceptive idea in an amusing way.
Paper 2
Quick, inventive intelligence, especially shown through clever language and humour.
Revise: MercutioBy Act 3 Scene 1, the wit that entertains his friends has become a weapon against Tybalt. Shakespeare gradually reveals how humour, loyalty and pride can combine dangerously.
Quick, inventive intelligence expressed through clever language, often involving jokes, unexpected comparisons or sharp replies.
Component 1
Quick intelligence expressed through inventive, often humorous language.
Revise: BeatriceA trencherman is a hearty eater. She transfers ‘valiant’, a word associated with courage, from battle to the dinner table, reducing his supposed heroism to appetite. Her wit challenges the men's habit of celebrating one another's honour.
Clever, quick expression, often involving wordplay, humour or unexpected comparisons.
