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Summary Hamlet: Language
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Summary of 2 pages for the course Unit 1 - Drama at PEARSON (Hamlet: Language)
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LanguageChiasmus- rhetorical device that is a two-part sentence or phrase, where the second part is a
reversal of the first. - ‘to be or not to be.’
Vocative Case- Speaking directly to someone.
Apostrophe- Reference to the dead, absent, or inanimate. – ‘O God.’
Antanaclasis- Repetition of the word, but the meaning of the word changes. Hamlet uses it a
lot. – ‘Is this the fine of his fines and the recovery of his recoveries, to have his fine pate full
of fine dirt?’
Metonymy- Use of replacing a word with something closely associated with it. – ‘incestuous
sheets’ in replace of marriage,
Anaphora- Repetition at the beginning of each line. – ‘Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt
that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.’
Anadiplosis- It is when a phrase ends with a word and the next phrase begins with it too.
Hamlet employs it in his dialogues many times – ‘to die, to sleep; to sleep; perchance to
dream.’
Antimetabole- a literary device consisting of the repetition of a phrase in reverse order. Used
to reiterate the fact that Hamlet is mentally unstable, and emphasizes the fact that Polonius
talks to much. – ‘That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity; And pity 'tis 'tis true.’
Allegory: Hamlet is an allegory that shows the universal problems a man faces on this earth.
These are the problems of good and evil in every era and generation.
Assonance: Creates a rhythm, which makes the phrase more memorable. – ‘For in that sleep
of death, what dreams may come?’
Allusions: There are a lot of religious and classical allusions. It can be used to enhance a text
by providing further meaning, but it can also be used in a more complex sense to make an
ironic comment on one thing by comparing it to something that is dissimilar.
Dramatic Irony- Where the audience knows something the character doesn’t. This increases
the tension. Think of the praying scene, when we know Claudius doesn’t feel any remorse.
Foreshadowing: When Marcellus sees the ghost, he talks to Horatio and says that
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. This line shows the use of foreshadowing that
something terrible is going to happen.
Imagery: Imagery means to use visually descriptive statements. Used to create a more
immersive experience for the audience. - ‘That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain’
Metaphor: Perhaps used for often in the play because characters cannot say what they mean,
feeding into the theme of deception. – ‘The fair Ophelia! – Nymph, in thy orisons. Be all my
sins remembered.’ – Here, Hamlet compares Ophelia to a Nymph, a Grecian divine creature.
She’s associated with lakes, possibly foreshadowing Ophelia’s death.
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