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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Congeal'd Mouths:
As she grieves over Henry VI's corpse, Lady Anne employs a metaphor of wounds speaking, and some accompanying and unpleasant visual imagery to accuse Richard III of murdering him:
See, dead Henry's wounds
Open their congeal'd mouths and bleed afresh!
Related Themes:
Act 4, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Golden Dew:
In the first Scene of Act 4, Lady Anne reflects upon her marriage to Richard and expresses deep regret. She employs metaphors of cooling dew and golden honey to convey the extent of her misery:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Within so small a time my woman’s heart
Grossly grew captive to his honey words
And proved the subject of mine own soul’s curse,
Which hitherto hath held ⟨my⟩ eyes from rest,
For never yet one hour in his bed
Did I enjoy the golden dew of sleep,
But with his timorous dreams was still awak'd.
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Act 4, Scene 4
Explanation and Analysis—Phoenix Nest:
When Richard speaks to the reluctant Queen Elizabeth about marrying her daughter, he employs an allusion to the mythical Phoenix, and metaphors referring to pregnancy, as part of his persuasive strategy:
Unlock with LitCharts A+QUEEN ELIZABETH
Yet thou didst kill my children.RICHARD
But in your daughter’s womb I bury them,
Where, in that nest of spicery, they will breed
Selves of themselves, to your recomforture.
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Explanation and Analysis—Worm of Conscience :
Queen Margaret, filled with bitterness and sorrow, publicly curses Richard and those around him who support him. Her cursing, which centers on the metaphor of a biting parasite, is loaded with foreshadowing for Richard’s incoming troubles. Margaret tells Richard that she hopes
Unlock with LitCharts A+The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul.
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