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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Key Examples in The Comedy of Errors
Act 2, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Water:
Water serves as a major motif throughout the play, from the stormy seas that split up Aegeon’s family to the boat Antipholus of Syracuse seeks in order to escape Ephesus. Here, Adriana unknowingly reinforces this motif, using very similar language to that of Antipholus of Syracuse, who earlier compared himself to a single drop of water searching for another drop of water in a wide ocean. She says:
For know, my love, as easy mayst thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulf,
And take unmingled thence that drop again
Without addition or diminishing,
As take from me thyself and not me too.
Related Themes:
