Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

epilogue

 
also ep·i·log (ĕp'ə-lôg', -lŏg') pronunciation
n.
    1. A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play.
    2. The performer who delivers such a short poem or speech.
  1. A short addition or concluding section at the end of a literary work, often dealing with the future of its characters. Also called afterword.

[Middle English epiloge, from Old French epilogue, from Latin epilogus, from Greek epilogos, conclusion of a speech : epi-, epi- + logos, word, speech.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

n

Definition: afterword
Antonyms: foreword, introduction, preface

epilogue [ep‐i‐log], a concluding section of any written work. At the end of some plays in the age of Shakespeare and Jonson, a single character would address the audience directly, begging indulgence and applause; both the speech and the speaker were known as the epilogue, as in Rosalind's closing address in As You Like It. Some novels have epilogues in which the characters' subsequent fates are briefly outlined.

verb: epilogize.

adjective: epilogistic.

Word Tutor:

afterword

Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Epilogue.

Tutor's tip: "Afterward(s)" means after a while or subsequent, while an "afterword" is an epilogue or short conclusion to a book or novel.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'epilogue'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to epilogue, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Epilogue.

An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work. The writer or the person can deliver a speech, speaking directly to the reader, when bringing the piece to a close, or the narration may continue normally to a closing scene.

Contents

In literature

Illustration from Un Autre Monde epilogue, by the Grandville.

An epilogue is a final chapter at the end of a story that often serves to reveal the fates of the characters. Some epilogues may feature scenes only tangentially related to the subject of the story. They can be used to hint at a sequel or wrap up all the loose ends. They can occur at a significant period of time after the main plot has ended. In some cases, the epilogue has been used to allow the main character a chance to 'speak freely'. An epilogue can continue in the same narrative style and perspective as the preceding story, although the form of an epilogue can occasionally be drastically different from the overall story. When the author steps in and speaks directly to the reader, that is more properly considered an afterword. It can also be used as a sequel.

In film

In films, the final scenes may feature a montage of images or clips with a short explanation of what happens to the characters. American Graffiti, National Lampoon's Animal House, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Remember the Titans, and Changeling are examples of such films.

There are many films which do not only include a few glimpses of the character's future, but also are based on an epilogue. Most epilogues in films are shown in a dramatic fashion, usually in silence, to commemorate an important happening, for example, the fate of a character in the film.

In many documentaries and biopics the epilogue is text based, explaining what happened to the subjects after the events covered in the film.

In television

The US series "Arrested Development" is a good example as it has an epilogue at the end of every episode. Many TV sitcoms feature epilogues in the form of scenes over the closing credits, often resolving a minor subplot from the episode or resurrecting an earlier joke.

See also

External links

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Epilogue". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 


Translations:

Epilogue

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - efterskrift, tilføjelse, tillæg, slutningstale, afslutning

Nederlands (Dutch)
epiloog, nawoord, naspel, slotwoord

Français (French)
n. - conclusion, (Littérat) épilogue

Deutsch (German)
n. - Epilog, Nachwort

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θεατρικός ή ρητορικός) επίλογος, (μτφ.) επίλογος, τελική έκβαση

Italiano (Italian)
epilogo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - epílogo (m)

Русский (Russian)
эпилог, послесловие

Español (Spanish)
n. - epílogo, palabras finales

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - epilog

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
结语, 收场白, 尾声

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 結語, 收場白, 尾聲

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 끝맺음 말, 후주

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 結びの部分, エピローグ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خاتمه الكتاب أو القصيدة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סיום, אפילוג‬


 
 
Related topics:
epilogistic
epilogize
foreword

Related answers:
What is the purpose of an epilogue? Read answer...
How do you write an Epilogue? Read answer...
What is the opposite of epilogue? Read answer...

Help us answer these:
What is an epilogue in a book?
What ia an epilogue?
What is sentence of epilogue?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms by Answers.com. © 1999-present by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Copyright © Chris Baldick 2001, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free Read more
Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
 Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved.  Read more
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary. Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Epilogue Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube