Shakespeare/Figurative Language

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What is a simile?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things using the words 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'as brave as a lion.'

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What is hyperbole?

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Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. For example, 'I could sleep for a thousand years.'

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What is personification?

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Personification is a figure of speech in which human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. For example, 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

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What is a metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. For example, 'Time is a thief.'

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What is symbolism?

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Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. For example, a dove often symbolizes peace.

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What is a pun?

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A pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. For example, 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.'

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What is dramatic irony?

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Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters do not. For example, in 'Romeo and Juliet', the audience knows Juliet is not dead, but Romeo does not.

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What is a sonnet?

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A sonnet is a 14-line poem written in iambic pentameter, often with a specific rhyme scheme. Shakespeare's sonnets are famous examples.

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What is imagery?

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Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a mental picture for the reader. For example, 'The golden sun set over the calm, blue sea.'

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What is allusion?

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An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art. For example, 'He has the patience of Job.'