Enargeia
Vivid sensory description, bringing a scene to life.
1.2 Captain: “Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, / And fix’d his head upon our battlements.”
1.6 Duncan: “The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself.”
1.6 Banquo: “Heaven’s breath / Smells wooingly here.”
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Enargeia | Vivid sensory description, bringing a scene to life. 1.2 Captain: “Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, / And fix’d his head upon our battlements.” 1.6 Duncan: “The air / Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself.” 1.6 Banquo: “Heaven’s breath / Smells wooingly here.” |
| Chiasmus | Inverted structure (ABBA). 1.1 Witches: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” 1.3 Macbeth (echoing them): “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” |
| Antithesis | Juxtaposition of opposites. 1.1 Witches: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” 1.3 Banquo: “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.” 1.3 Banquo: “Not so happy, yet much happier.” 1.3 Banquo: “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” |
| Epizeuxis | Immediate repetition of a word or phrase. N/A (hallucination) |
| Paronomasia | 1.2 Ross: “Bellona’s bridegroom.” (Macbeth = both groom of the war goddess & war personified). 1.3 Banquo: “Why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair?” (play on “fair” = appearance + fortune). |
| Synecdoche | A part represents the whole (or vice versa). 1.6 Banquo: “The temple-haunting martlet, does approve / By his loved mansionry that the heaven’s breath / Smells wooingly here.” (bird stands for peace of the whole castle). 1.2 Captain: “Brandish’d steel” (the sword represents soldier/war). |
| Cataphora | Hinting at something before fully revealing it. 1.3 Witches: “All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter!” (teases destiny before it unfolds). 1.3 Banquo: “If you can look into the seeds of time, / And say which grain will grow, and which will not…” (introduces the metaphor before explaining it). |
| Polysyndeton | Overuse of conjunctions (“and… and…”), adds weight or excess. 1.2 Captain: “Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops, and fix’d his head upon our battlements.” 1.5 Lady Macbeth: “Come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall… Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell.” 1.3 Macbeth: “The Thane of Cawdor lives, a prosperous gentleman; and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief.” 1.7 Macbeth: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed.” |
| Diacope | Repetition with a word in between. 1.7 Macbeth: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well / It were done quickly.” |
| Hypophora | Asking a question and then answering it. 1.2 Captain: “Doubtful it stood; / As two spent swimmers, that do cling together / And choke their art.” (poses situation, explains with metaphor). 1.7 Macbeth: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well / It were done quickly.” (raises possibility, partially answers). |
| Caricature | An exaggerated portrayal of a person or their traits, often to highlight flaws or create a grotesque effect. Lady Macbeth (1.5): “Yet I do fear thy nature; / It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness |
| Dichotomy | A division into two contrasting or mutually exclusive ideas, qualities, or concepts. Witches (1.1): “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” — contrasts appearance vs. reality. Banquo (1.3): “Not so happy, yet much happier” — shows contradictory states simultaneously. |
| Dysphemism | The use of a harsh, unpleasant, or offensive term instead of a neutral or polite one. Quotation: Sergeant (1.2): “Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chops” ED: also any reference to blood cuz thats farmable |
| In media Res | When a narrative begins in the middle of the action, rather than at the chronological start. “When shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”- wierd ass sisters. in scene 1. Sergeant to Duncan (1.2): “Doubtful it stood; / As two spent swimmers, that do cling together / And choke their art.” |
| stichomythia | rapid succession of yapping like: me:hi U:hi me:shut up U: no .get it. Duncan: “What bloody man is that?” Sergeant: “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—” - detty pigs from scene 2 also this long aah one Quotation: Act 1, Scene 1: First Witch: “When shall we three meet again?” Second Witch: “In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” Third Witch: “When the hurly-burly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won.” First Witch: “That will be ere the set of sun.” Second Witch: “Where the place?” Third Witch: “Upon the heath.” First Witch: “There to meet with Macbeth.” All: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air.” ED: it speeds up the action and tempo. |
| Hamartia | fatal flaw. Contextual point so no real quotes for it (i couldbt be asked to find them of there are quotes but man this has taken too long). |
| Anachronism | against the normal of the time e.g. lady macbeth. |
| chremamorphism | giving a human object like qualities |