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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Key Examples in Prometheus Unbound
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Gaia:
In the following passage from Act 1, Prometheus addresses the earth, referring to it as "Mother" of the "Titans," of whom Prometheus is one. This is an allusion to Greek mythology (specifically, the aspects of Prometheus's story that precede the events of Prometheus Unbound):
I hear a sound of voices: not the voice
Which I gave forth. Mother, thy sons and thou
Scorn him, without whose all-enduring will
Beneath the fierce omnipotence of Jove
Both they and thou had vanished like thin mist
Unrolled on the morning wind. Know ye not me,
The Titan?
