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Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Broken Bird:
As Arthur collapses onto the stage in King Lear, Mandel uses foreshadowing and a simile to create uncertainty around what’s happening to him, blurring the line between performance and reality:
"Down from the waist they are Centaurs," he said, and not only was this the wrong line but the delivery was wheezy, his voice barely audible. He cradled his hand to his chest like a broken bird. The actor portraying Edgar was watching him closely. It was still possible at that moment that Arthur was acting, but in the first row of the orchestra section a man was rising from his seat.
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Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Last Call:
After Arthur’s final, fatal performance in King Lear, some of the audience gather in the theater lobby to drink and commiserate. During this scene, Mandel uses foreshadowing to hint at the impending collapse of the world:
Unlock with LitCharts A+In the lobby, the people gathered at the bar clinked their glasses together. “To Arthur,” they said. They drank for a few more minutes and then went their separate ways in the storm. Of all of them there at the bar that night, the bartender was the one who survived the longest. He died three weeks later on the road out of the city.
Related Themes:
Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Two Birds:
Although she and Arthur often throw glamorous dinner parties, Miranda feels out of place and consistently uncomfortable in his community of actors and Hollywood luminaries. As Arthur jokes about the purpose of one of these parties, he uses an idiom to joke about what he and his wife are trying to achieve, foreshadowing their future troubles:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There are ten guests here tonight, an intimate evening to celebrate both the anniversary and the opening weekend figures. “Two birds with one stone,” Arthur said, but there’s something wrong with the evening, and Miranda is finding it increasingly difficult to hide her unease.
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