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Figures of Speech in Shakespearean Language - Coggle Diagram
Figures of Speech in Shakespearean Language
Pun
“Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” From Romeo and Juliet
Grave has two meaning, serious and dead.
It means that he will be dead.
“Now is the winter of our discontent, made a glorious summer by this son of York.” From Richard III
It is a play on the word sun and son.
It means that the hard times or unhappy times are ending because of the new king.
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.” From Hamlet
Kind has two meaning, family and being nice.
It means that they are family, but they don't like each other.
Alliteration
“Sweet are the uses of adversity.” From As You Like It
It means that even in the bad situation, it still can teach us something.
They repeated the sound "S".
“Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade." From A Midsummer Night’s Dream
They repeated the sound "B".
It means that someone is using a sword to fight violently.
“Full fathom five thy father lies.” From The Tempest
They repeated the sound "F".
It means that the person’s father is lying deep underwater after drowning.
Irony
“I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.” From Romeo and Juliet
The audience knows that it will happen.
He jokes about the death.
“I think you are all mended.” From Julius Caesar
He says the opposite things of what he thinks to be ridicule.
It means that they are not fixed or improved.
“Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.” From Othello
She says the opposite things.
It means that she didn't believe him at all.
Anaphora
“By heaven, I love thee;
By heaven, I swear it.” From Othello
Repeated the word "By Heaven".
It means that he is serious and emotional.
“O Lord, O Lord…” From King Lear
Repeated the word "O Lord".
It's show that he is shocked.
“For thee I watch; for thee I stay.” From Sonnet 61
It means that everything is done for that person.
Repeated the word "For thee".
Allusion
“Et tu, Brute?” From Julius Caesar
An allusion to Caesar’s assassination.
It means that he was shock that his friend betrayed him.
“You are Eros and I am Mars.” From Antony and Cleopatra
It is an allusion to Greek gods.
They represented love and war.
“And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg.” From Julius Caesar
It is an allusion to the idea of the mythic serpent.
Brutus says that Caesar is a snake that's not dangerous yet, but he will be later
Oxymoron
“Beautiful tyrant!” From Romeo and Juliet
Tyrant and beautiful is opposite to each other.
It's meaning is about someone that looks lovely, but actually cruel.
“Damn’d saint, honourable villain.” From Othello
The author puts Saint and Villain which were opposite to each other.
It's meaning is about someone that seems to be good, but is actually bad.
“O brawling love, O loving hate!” From Romeo and Juliet
Love and hate is opposite to each other.
It means that love feels confusing.
Assonance
“O Romeo, Romeo…” From Romeo and Juliet
A repeat of the long "O" vowel sound.
When Juliet expressed her feeling to Romeo.
“The murmuring surge.” From The Tempest
Repeated of the sound "ur".
It describes the sound of the waves.
“The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem.” From Sonnet 54
Repeated of the sound "air".
The rose looks beautiful, but they think it is more beautiful.
Personification
“The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night.” From Romeo and Juliet
The morning smiles and the night frown.
It means that the morning is bright
and the night is fading away.
“The sun for sorrow will not show his head.” From Romeo and Juliet
The sun copied people's action by hides his head.
It means that they feel like the day is sad.
“The winds did sing it to me.” From The Winter's Tale
The wind was described as it was singing.
It means that the wind feels soft and gentle.
Metaphor
“Life’s but a walking shadow.” From Macbeth
They called life a shadow.
It means that life is short and fades quickly.
“Juliet is the sun.” From Romeo and Juliet
Compared Juliet to the sun by not using as or like.
It means that Juliet is the most important person, and brings many thing to his life.
“All the world’s a stage.” From As You Like It
They called the world a stage.
It means that life is like a play, people act out different roles during their life.
Onomatopoeia
“Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.” From Macbeth
It is when the cat has meowed.
Mew'd is the sound when cat meowing.
“The clamour of the bells.” From King John
Clamour is the sound when the bell was ringed.
It means loud ringing.
“Bow-wow, the watch-dogs bark.” From The Tempest
Bow-wow is the sound when dogs bark.
It is when the dog barking.
Hyperbole
“I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself king of infinite space.” From Hamlet
Exaggerate of a "infinite space".
It means that his though are big even in a small place.
“A thousand times good night!” From Romeo and Juliet
Exaggerate by telling that he is tell her 1000 times goodnight.
It means that she doesn't want to say goodbye, so she said goodnight for a thousand times to extend the time.
“I will weep for nothing, like Diana in the fountain.” From As You Like It
It means that he will cry endlessly.
Exaggerate a crying by compared it to a fountain.
Simile
“She shines as the morning rises.” From Romeo and Juliet
He compared her to a sunrise by using the word "as".
It means that she is bright and always brings a positivity.
“As merry as the day is long.” From Much Ado About Nothing
The author uses "as ... as"
It means that someone is happy all day.
“My love is as a fever.” From Sonnet 147
It means that his love is uncontrollable and unpredictable.
He compares his love to a sickness by using "as".