Henry IV Part 1
by William Shakespeare
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Henry IV Part 1: Personification 1 key example

New! Understand every line of Henry IV Part 1.
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Definition of Personification

Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition

Key Examples in Henry IV Part 1

Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—England as a Woman:

In the opening lines of the play, the recently crowned King Henry IV personifies the nation of England as a female figure who has been victimized by civil war. Speaking in court in front of a small group of assembled nobles including Lord John of Lancaster and the Earl of Westmoreland, the King vows to put an end to the violence that has marked the kingdom in recent years, using personification in the process:

No more the thirsty entrance of this soil
Shall daub her lips with her own children’s blood.
No more shall trenching war channel her fields,
Nor bruise her flow’rets with the armèd hoofs
Of hostile paces.