Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

Literary Devices

Shakespeare’s use of literary devices coincides with not only the flowering language of

Elizabethan society, but the discovery and creation of thousands of new words thanks to

Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Shakespeare’s writing of poetry and sonnets adds to the

poetic voice his plays contained – rather than dull, prose-like readings, his plays are alight with

melody and dramatism. The use of blank verse, iambic pentameter, and Shakespeare’s

notorious use of rhyming couplets contributes to the flow of the plays. In both Macbeth and

King Lear , Shakespeare’s use of poetic hyperbole contributes greatly to the dramatic nature of

how each play reads. Though the use of such extensive exaggeration is typical with declarative

language of 17t century Romantic literature, Shakespeare’s poetic use of hyperbole creates

necessary tension and dramatic flair.

In King Lear , Shakespeare’s use of language allows inferences to be made on the part of Lear’s

rambling monologue. King Lear is the focus of this passage, and it is here where he hits the

pinnacle of his transition from madness to maturity. Lear opens the passage with the line, "Let

me wipe it first; it smells of mortality" (Appendix 5) , introducing the fact that he wants to rid

himself of all traces of humanity. By doing so he brings himself to a "common" level, allowing

himself to appear as though he has been fully overtaken by madness, and severed his ties with

the social norm. This madness, however, serves as maturation in Lear's case; finally, he realizes

the mistake he made in banishing Cordelia. Additionally, the contrast between the

sophistication of language at the start and close of the play is symbolic of the transformation

of Lear’s mental state. Shakespeare’s use of blank verse surrounds the opening scene with a

ceremonial quality of dignified regality – with Lear’s character especially speaking as

representative of his status: in long verse periods, with flowing rhythm in jointed cadences,

eloquently royal (Casperson, 2009 ). At the close of the play, Lear’s manner of speaking is

Extended Essay

ENGLISH A1

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