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Personification
Definition of Satire
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Satire Mind Map
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Key Examples in Romeo and Juliet
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Romeo as Petrarchan Lover:
Shakespeare uses Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline at the beginning of the play to satirize the figure of the Petrarchan lover: a yearning man who voices his affection for a distant female lover, who is either unable or unwilling to return his affections. Shakespeare's audiences would have been familiar with the Petrarchan lover—a common type in Elizabethan poems and plays, derived from the poetry of the Italian poet Petrarch—and would likely have seen similarities between Romeo and this figure while recognizing Shakespeare's sly critique.
Related Themes:
Act 2, Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—Romeo as Petrarchan Lover:
Shakespeare uses Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline at the beginning of the play to satirize the figure of the Petrarchan lover: a yearning man who voices his affection for a distant female lover, who is either unable or unwilling to return his affections. Shakespeare's audiences would have been familiar with the Petrarchan lover—a common type in Elizabethan poems and plays, derived from the poetry of the Italian poet Petrarch—and would likely have seen similarities between Romeo and this figure while recognizing Shakespeare's sly critique.
Related Themes:
