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Oxymorons
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
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Prometheus's Burden:
In the following passage, taken from Prometheus's initial monologue in Act 1, the imprisoned Titan describes the pain he must undergo on a daily basis as a result of Jupiter's punishment. Shelley uses personification at many points throughout this monologue, employing the literary device to emphasize the more dramatic aspects of Prometheus's imprisonment. This technique comes to the fore when Prometheus describes the chains binding him:
The crawling glaciers pierce me with the spears
Of their moon-freezing crystals, the bright chains
Eat with their burning cold into my bones.
Explanation and Analysis—Nature:
The natural world plays an important role in Prometheus Unbound, taking on a special significance within the imagery and figurative language of the poem—as embodied by Shelley's personification of the mountains, air, and winds in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As then, ere misery made me wise. The curse
Once breathed on thee I would recall. Ye Mountains,
Whose many-voiced Echoes, through the mist
Of cataracts, flung the thunder of that spell!
Ye icy Springs, stagnant with wrinkling frost,
Which vibrated to hear me, and then crept
Shuddering through India! Thou serenest Air,
Through which the Sun walks burning without beams!
And ye swift Whirlwinds, who on poised wings
Hung mute and moveless o’er yon hushed abyss.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Revenge:
In this passage from the beginning of Act 1, Prometheus addresses Mercury, who has descended from the heavens to bargain with Prometheus on Jupiter’s behalf. Prometheus refuses to accept compromise with Jupiter, stating that evil will make its own terrible end. In his mind, it’s not part of his role to interfere with Zeus’s affairs, nor seek individual vengeance—the universe will make things right. While refusing help from Mercury, Prometheus uses personification to explain his reasoning:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Let others flatter Crime, where it sits throned
In brief Omnipotence; secure are they:
For Justice, when triumphant, will weep down
Pity, not punishment, on her own wrongs,
Too much avenged by those who err.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A New Beginning:
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Asia personifies spring, addressing it as a "child of many winds." The description of the joy of Spring that follows is intended as a form of imagery, paralleling her emotional state:
Unlock with LitCharts A+O Spring!
O child of many winds! As suddenly
Thou comest as the memory of a dream,
Which now is sad because it hath been sweet;
Like genius, or like joy which riseth up
As from the earth, clothing with golden clouds
The desert of our life …
This is the season, this the day, the hour;
At sunrise thou shouldst come, sweet sister mine …
Too long desired, too long delaying, come!
Related Themes:
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—A New Beginning:
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Asia personifies spring, addressing it as a "child of many winds." The description of the joy of Spring that follows is intended as a form of imagery, paralleling her emotional state:
Unlock with LitCharts A+O Spring!
O child of many winds! As suddenly
Thou comest as the memory of a dream,
Which now is sad because it hath been sweet;
Like genius, or like joy which riseth up
As from the earth, clothing with golden clouds
The desert of our life …
This is the season, this the day, the hour;
At sunrise thou shouldst come, sweet sister mine …
Too long desired, too long delaying, come!
Related Themes:
