William Shakespeare Group

Question:

fiatx3
fiatx3

Help with analyzing the purpose of metaplasmic figures of speech used by Shakespeare :

"Use Every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping" (Hamlet, Act II Scene II )

"I am Sir Oracle, And when I ope my lips let no dog bark!" (Merchant of Venice, Act I Scene I)

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Posted by fiatx3 on Tuesday November 18, 2008 at 9:21 AM and tagged with figures of speech, hamlet, literary devices, merchant of venice, william shakespeare.

Answers:


  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Metaplasmic figures help an author stay within a particular rhyme scheme. In your first example: "Use Every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping ( which is technically an example if aphaeris), Shakespeare is trying to keep the line in iambic pentameter. The same is true for your second example: "I am Sir Oracle, And when I ope my lips let no dog bark!" However this is really an example of apocope.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/act-ii-scene-2-summary-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/merchant/act-scenes-1-3-summary-ana...
    http://www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/williams/figofspe.htm#Me...

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    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Tuesday November 18, 2008 at 9:39 AM