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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Lying Lessons:
Abigail shouts at John Proctor, expressing her fury at his insistence that their love affair is over. Miller employs hyperbole to show how intensely Abigail feels about the unfairness of Proctor’s decision:
ABIGAIL: I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!
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Act 2
Explanation and Analysis—Brick and Mortar:
When he learns they are to be arrested, Francis Nurse uses a hyperbolic metaphor to passionately defend the character and piety of his friend Martha Corey and his wife, Rebecca Nurse:
Unlock with LitCharts A+NURSE: My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church, Mr. Hale—indicating Giles—and Martha Corey, there cannot be a woman closer yet to God than Martha.
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Explanation and Analysis—Freeze Beer:
Proctor uses an idiom and hyperbole to spitefully express his frustration with his chilly but well-meaning wife, Elizabeth. As she tells him that he’s only feeling guilty for his affair because he’s judging himself, he snaps:
Unlock with LitCharts A+PROCTOR: Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!
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Act 4
Explanation and Analysis—My Name!:
Miller uses hyperbole to emphasize the significance of Proctor's refusal to sign his “confession” with his name. At the end of The Crucible, Proctor suddenly resists signing the false confession in the strongest possible terms. When he’s asked point-blank why he will not put on paper what he’s sworn to in words, he says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!
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