Sunday, October 11, 2015

In Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy, what are some literary terms (metaphors, similes, hyperboles, alliterations, paradox, euphemism,...

This short speech uses many literary devices.  Here are a
few samples.


a) "to suffer / The slings and arrows of
outrageous fortune"


Metaphor:
Unfortunate events that can occur to a person are compared to slings and
arrows.


b) "a sea of
troubles"


Metaphor: the many
troubles that a person might suffer from are compared to a
sea 


c) "To die, to sleep— / To sleep—perchance to
dream"


Anaphora: The
repetition of the infinitive form of the verb (to die, to sleep, etc.) can be considered
a form of anaphora, or forceful repetition. 


d) "The
oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of disprized
love"


Alliteration: "Proud"
and "pangs" are examples of simple alliteration; they are joined by "oppressor's" and
"disprized," which have the "p" sound not in the beginning of the word, but in its
stressed syllable.

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