I was wondering if you could help me find literary devices in this passage in "Othello" by Shakespeare:
Desdemona:
"My noble father,
I do perceive here a divided duty:
To you I am bound for life and education;
My life and education both do learn me
How to respect you; you are the lord of duty;
I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,
And so much duty as my mother show'd
To you, preferring you before her father,
So much I challenge that I may profess
Due to the Moor my lord."
This is essentially written in iambic pentameter, and there's alliteration in the second line ("divided duty"), but that's about all I see. Well, you might hear some assonance inn the last line, but it depends on your pronunciation. I see no similes, metaphors, or much of anything, unless you want to make something out of the word "bound" (as if she is literally tied to first her father and then her husband).
http://www.uncg.edu/~htkirbys/meters.htm
http://www2.one-eyed-alien.net/~ayelton/Writing/meter.html
http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm
I see Characterization used in the description of him as lord of duty, and the mother showing duty in the end.
Certainly! "Othello" by William Shakespeare is rich in literary devices. Let's explore some of them in the given passage:
1. Metaphor - "you are the lord of duty": Desdemona compares her father to a lord, emphasizing his authority and the responsibility she feels towards him.
2. Parallelism - "My life and education both do learn me": This repetition of structure emphasizes the equal importance of both Desdemona's upbringing and her personal experiences in shaping her respect for her father.
3. Foreshadowing - "And so much duty as my mother show'd To you, preferring you before her father": By alluding to her mother's actions, Desdemona hints at her own potential conflict between her husband and her father, foreshadowing the later tension in the play.
4. Allusion - "So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord": Desdemona refers to Othello, her husband, as "the Moor," an allusion to his ethnicity, which plays a significant role in the story.
To identify these literary devices or any others in a passage, you can follow these steps:
1. Read the passage carefully to understand its meaning.
2. Look for any comparisons, such as metaphors or similes, where one thing is described in terms of another.
3. Identify any recurring patterns or repetitive structures, which could indicate parallelism or other forms of repetition.
4. Watch out for any references to events, characters, or concepts outside the immediate context. These could be allusions to other works of literature or historical events.
5. Consider the overall tone and mood of the passage. Are there any figures of speech, such as irony or foreshadowing, that contribute to the atmosphere?
By using these strategies, you can effectively identify literary devices in a given passage.