Glossary

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haiku
an unrhymed poetic form, Japanese in origin, that contains seventeen syllables arranged in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively.

hero/heroine
the leading male/female character, usually larger than life, sometimes almost godlike. See antihero, protagonist, and villain.

heroic couplet
rhymed pairs of lines in iambic pentameter.

hexameter
a line of poetry with six feet: "She comes, | she comes | again, | like ring | dove frayed | and fled" (Keats, The Eve of St. Agnes).

high (verbal) comedy
humor that employs subtlety, wit, or the representation of refined life. See low (physical) comedy.

hyperbole
overstatement characterized by exaggerated language.