Macbeth: The Story Within

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Literary Devices

Metonymy

Definition: a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.

Example:

"Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake."
(Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 9-13).


Explanation:

The cauldron does not actually boil, the ingredients inside of it is what boils. The words "double, double" mimic the sound of boiling ingredients.

cauldron.jpg

Hyperbole

Courtney Brock, Mr. Brisebois, English 11 A2, May 12, 2005