stichomythia

stichomythia
—stichomythic, adj.
/stik'euh mith"ee euh/, n.
dramatic dialogue, as in a Greek play, characterized by brief exchanges between two characters, each of whom usually speaks in one line of verse during a scene of intense emotion or strong argumentation.
Also, stichomythy /sti kom"euh thee/.
[1860-65; < Gk stichomythía, equiv. to stícho(s) (see STICH1) + -mythia (myth(os) speech, story + -ia -IA)]

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▪ drama
also spelled  Stichomythy,  plural  Stichomythias, or Stichomythies,  

      dialogue in alternate lines, a form sometimes used in Classical Greek drama in which two characters alternate speaking single epigrammatic lines of verse. This device, which is found in such plays as Aeschylus' Agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, is often used as a means to show characters in vigorous contention or to heighten the emotional intensity of a scene. Characters may take turns voicing antithetical positions, or they may take up one another's words, suggesting other meanings or punning upon them.

      Repartee in the form of polished aphorisms was a stylistic feature of the Roman tragedies of Seneca (Seneca, Lucius Annaeus), which were intended for private readings rather than performance. Through the influence of Seneca, stichomythia was adapted to the drama of Elizabethan England, most notably by William Shakespeare in comedies such as Love's Labour's Lost and in the memorable exchange between Richard and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III (IV, iv). A similar type of “cut-and-thrust,” or “cut-and-parry,” dialogue figures in the clipped, epigrammatical speech of the prose plays of the 1920s, such as those of Noel Coward.

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  • Stichomythia — is a technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half lines, are given to alternating characters, voices, or entities.The term originated in the literature of Ancient Greece, and is often applied to the dramas of Sophocles,… …   Wikipedia

  • stichomythia — “dialogue in alternate lines,” Modern Latin, from Gk. stikhomythia, from stikhos (see STICHIC (Cf. stichic)) + mythos “speech, talk” (see MYTH (Cf. myth)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • stichomythia — [sti käm′ə thēstik΄ə mith′ē ə] n. [Gr < stichos, a line (see STILE1) + mythos, speech, MYTH1] dialogue in brief, alternate lines, as in ancient Greek drama: also stichomythy [sti käm′ə thē] stichomythic adj …   English World dictionary

  • stichomythia — also stichomythy noun Etymology: Greek stichomythia, from stichomythein to speak dialogue in alternate lines, from stichos row, verse + mythos speech, myth; akin to Greek steichein to walk, go more at stair Date: 1861 dialogue especially of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • stichomythia — noun /stɪkəˈmɪθɪə/ A technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half lines, are given to alternating characters, voices, or entities , 1993: The trial in the great hall under its high vaults, dusty sunlight shafting in, full of… …   Wiktionary

  • stichomythia — sti•cho•myth•i•a [[t]ˌstɪk əˈmɪθ i ə[/t]] also sti•chom•y•thy [[t]stɪˈkɒm ə θi[/t]] n. lit. dramatic dialogue, as in a Greek play, characterized by brief exchanges between two characters, each of whom usu. speaks in one line of verse • Etymology …   From formal English to slang

  • stichomythia — См. sticomitìa …   Пятиязычный словарь лингвистических терминов

  • stichomythia — [ˌstɪkə(ʊ) mɪθɪə] noun dialogue in which two characters speak alternate lines of verse, used as a stylistic device in ancient Greek drama. Origin C19: mod. L., from Gk stikhomuthia, from stikhos row, line of verse + muthos speech, talk …   English new terms dictionary

  • stichomythia — stich·o·myth·ia …   English syllables

  • stichomythia — /stɪkəˈmɪθiə/ (say stikuh mitheeuh) noun the dramatic practice of dialogue in which each speaker uses exactly one line of the verse. Also, stichomythy /stəˈkɒməθi/ (say stuh komuhthee). {Greek} –stichomythic, adjective …  

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