### Dactyl
A **dactyl** is a metrical foot in poetry consisting of three syllables. The first syllable is stressed, and the following two are unstressed. An example is the line "Black were her / éyed as the / berry that / grows on the / thorn by the / wayside" from Longfellow's "Evangeline." In this line, the first five feet are dactylic. The last foot, however, is a trochaic stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
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### Denotation
**Denotation** is the direct, literal, or dictionary meaning of a word. It is the opposite of connotation, which refers to the emotional or cultural associations of a word. For example, the denotation of the word "bird" is "a winged biped that can fly."
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### Denouement
The **denouement** is the final part of a play or story. It is the scene where all the problems are resolved, and a satisfactory explanation of the consequences of the story is provided. All the loose ends are tied up, bringing the narrative to a close.
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### Diction
**Diction** is the writer's or speaker's choice of words and phrases. A writer's diction can vary greatly. For instance, a writer like Milton might use "bombastic, unusual, allusive and Latinized words," while another writer like Orwell uses "simple, lucid and common words." The words a writer chooses define their diction.
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### Didactic
A **didactic** work is a type of writing that is intended to teach or instruct. These writings often aim to provide moral, political, or practical lessons. Examples of didactic works include Aesop's Fables, Alexander Pope's *Essay on Criticism*, and John Bunyan's *Pilgrim's Progress*.
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### Dramatic Irony
**Dramatic irony** is a literary device in which a situation or dialogue conveys one meaning to the characters on stage but has the opposite meaning for the audience. The audience has a greater understanding of the situation than the characters do.
* An example is when Oedipus, in *Oedipus Rex*, believes he is renowned for his good activities, but the audience knows the truth about him. Similarly, when he declares the death penalty for the killer of Laius, he is unaware that the punishment will fall on himself, but the audience knows it beforehand.
* Another example is in *Macbeth*. Duncan says, "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face. / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust." He says this after the previous Thane of Cawdor betrayed him, but the audience knows that Macbeth, whom Duncan is trusting, is about to murder him.
* Lady Macbeth's line, "A little water clears us of this deed," after the murder of Duncan, is also an example of dramatic irony. The audience knows it's not that easy to be rid of the guilt, and Lady Macbeth herself later realizes this.
The purpose of dramatic irony is to enhance the audience's pleasure and, when used repeatedly, can strengthen the unity of action in a narrative.
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