What are the literary devices used in the following sentences / extracts. Indicate why you
think the lines represent a particular literary device?
i Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not soe.
ii The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold.
iii The camel is the ship of the desert.
iv O Hamlet! Thou hast cleft my heart in twain.
v Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Answers
i Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not soe.
The sonnet “Death be not proud” is written by John Donne which is about the death and the powerlessness it has. The literary devices used in the lines are personification and metaphor. In the above lines, death has been personified as a person who needs not to be pride over himself. The poet uses metaphor to compare death with that of a person whom he addresses like a person. The poem illustrates that death is a short sleep and life is an endless journey which is never going to stop.
ii The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold.
The above sentence is an example of Simile. A simile is a direct comparison between two things. It compares two things by using ‘as’ or ‘like.’ In the sentence, the coming of the Assyrian has been compared to the movement of a wolf.
iii The camel is the ship of the desert.
The above sentence is an example of Metaphor. A metaphor is a hidden comparison between two things which possess at least any one idea common to each other. The things may be completely different from each other but would have either one characteristic in common to them. The only similarity between a camel and ship is that they both are the means of transportation but in different situations.
iv O Hamlet! Thou hast cleft my heart in twain.
The above sentence is an example of Hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement which is not meant to be taken literally. After Hamlet's harsh words to his mother Gertrude, she replies with the above sentence. She says that these words of Hamlet's had “cleft” her heart which means these words had divided her heart. This is an overstatement which is not to be taken literally.
v Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
In the above sentence, the word 'head' is synecdoche and the word 'crown is metonymy. Metonymy is the figure of speech which uses one word to explain and denote about a larger concept or idea related to it. Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or a whole represent a part of it. The word head symbolizes the person who is a king and the word 'crown' symbolizes the responsibilities that the king has to perform.
i- Death be not proud, though some have called thee
The literary devices in the above-mentioned line are personification and metaphor. Death is personified as some individual who has ability to feel and be proud. Whereas, the metaphor utilized is “thee” in the sentence which sets a comparison between the two.
ii- The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold.
The above sentence carries Simile as the literary element. A simile makes a direct comparison and utilizes words “like” and “as” to establish a connection. Here, the Assyrian’s walk is being compared to that of a wolf.
iii- The camel is the ship of the desert.
This is an example of Metaphor. A metaphor establishes a hidden connection between two tings which may differ in appearance but consist of at least one abstract similarity. Here, we see that the “camel” in a desert acts like a “ship” ion the ocean.
iv- O Hamlet! Thou hast cleft my heart in twain.
This statement from the Hamlet is an example of Hyperbole. This literary device is utilized to express exaggeration of emotions or details about someone/something. The above statement expresses Hamlet’s mother feelings and illustrates that her heart is broken into two pieces which is literally impossible, but states the gravity of his activity on his mother.
v- Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
In the given sentence, synecdoche and metonymy are utilized to portray a bigger concept by the use of a single word. Head signifies the individual who happens to the ruler and “crown” implies to the responsibilities he holds.