Figurative Language in Shakespeare's Works

This set of flashcards covers key terms and definitions related to figurative language as found in Shakespeare's plays.

figurative language

Any use of language that makes a point in an indirect or non-literal way.

metaphor

An analogy whereby a person, place, or thing is compared to something else.

simile

An analogy in which the comparison is made explicit through words such as like, as, similar to, or resembles.

metonymy

Referring to a person, place, or thing by using the word for something located in close proximity to it.

hyperbole

Rhetorical exaggeration or overstatement.

paradox

A contradictory statement that illuminates a deeper truth.

oxymoron

A compact paradox that consists of two words in close proximity contradicting one another.

personification

The attribution of human qualities to an object, place, animal, or idea.

apostrophe

Addressing someone or something that is absent or dead as if it were present and alive.