English Literature GCSE
Melancholy
What Melancholy means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for Eduqas, OCR.
Definitions of Melancholy
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. The tone of 'A Complaint' is deeply melancholic, expressing a quiet, persistent sorrow rather than anger.
A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.
Topics that use Melancholy
- To Autumn (Eduqas GCSE)
- A Complaint (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Extended Metaphor
- Iambic Pentameter
- Lyric Poetry
- Personification
- Rhetorical Question
- Romanticism
- Semantic Field
- Sibilance
Using Melancholy in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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