stichomythia

American  

[stik-uh-mith-ee-uh] / ˌstɪk əˈmɪθ i ə /

Also stichomythy

noun

1. 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.

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stichomythia British  

/ ˌstɪkəʊˈmɪθɪə, stɪˈkɒmɪθɪ /

noun

1. a form of dialogue originating in Greek drama in which single lines are uttered by alternate speakers

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Other Word Forms

• stichomythic adjective

Etymology

Origin of stichomythia

1860–65; < Greek stichomȳthía, equivalent to stícho ( s ) ( stich ¹ ) + -mȳthia ( mŷth ( os ) speech, story + -ia -ia )

Example Sentences

The dreary tirades of Polyphontes and Merope, and their snip-snap stichomythia, read equally ill in English.

From Matthew Arnold by Saintsbury, George

Artificial, with constant use of antithesis, stichomythia, and hyperbole, oratorical, sonorous, bombastic, and thickly sprinkled with aphorisms and sentiments, the style seemed to the humanists to reach the height of tragic elevation and philosophic sententiousness.

From Tragedy by Thorndike, Ashley H.

Phillis and Amyntas reappear and carry on a conversation, not unamiably, in a sort of hexametrical stichomythia.

From Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama A Literary Inquiry, with Special Reference to the Pre-Restoration Stage in England by Greg, Walter W.

Certainly there is nothing more telling in drama than a piece of "cut-and-thrust" dialogue after the fashion of the ancient "stichomythia."

From Play-Making A Manual of Craftsmanship by Archer, William

The author was well acquainted with classical drama, as may be seen in his use of stichomythia, amongst other things, and possibly in his preference for a Grecian story.

From The Growth of English Drama by Wynne, Arnold