Stichomythia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A passage in a play where characters speak in alternating single lines, often in rapid exchange and typically in confrontational scenes
2. The technique in classical or Elizabethan drama of having two speakers trade one line each in quick succession, creating a sharp verbal duel
3. Dialogue delivered in strict alternation, one line per speaker, a device common in Greek tragedy and later stage writing for tense exchanges

Etymology: Ancient Greek drama gave this term its shape. "Stichomythia" comes from Greek "stíkhos," meaning "line of verse," and "mûthos," meaning "speech" or "word," so the literal sense is something like "line-speech." It describes a stretch of dialogue in which two characters trade single lines back and forth, each speech matching the length of the one before, which produces a quick, sharp exchange that heightens tension. The term was adopted into Latin and reached English from there. Its earliest use in English is not dated here, but it is a technical term from literary criticism, used to describe this device in classical tragedy, where playwrights such as Sophocles and Euripides made it a regular feature of confrontations between characters.