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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Key Examples in Edward II
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—By a Soldier's Hand:
In the opening scene of the play, Piers Gaveston is in good spirits after his exile from Britain has been lifted by his lover, the new King Edward II. After reading a letter from the King that conveys this news, Gaveston is approached by a group of poor men who hope to benefit from his good fortune, and each of them in turn asks him for employment. His conversation with one man in particular, a former soldier, heavily foreshadows later events in the play:
GAVESTON
And what art thou?THIRD POOR MAN
A soldier, that hath served against the Scot.GAVESTON
Why, there are hospitals for such as you.
I have no war, and therefore, sir, begone.THIRD POOR MAN
Farewell, and perish by a soldier’s hand,
That wouldst reward them with an hospital.GAVESTON [aside]
Ay, ay, these words of his move me as much
As if a goose should play the porcupine
And dart her plumes, thinking to pierce my breast.
Related Themes:
