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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Book 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Gringoire’s Play:
Gringoire’s play in Book 1, Chapter 2 offers an allegory that creates a comic opening scene. As the actors quiet the unruly crowd and stage the playwright’s masterpiece, the narrator explains the work’s unsubtle significance:
It would have needed much ill-will also not to gather, from the poetry of the prologue, that Tillage was married to Commerce and Clergy to Nobility, and that the two happy couples were joint owners of a magnificent gold dolphin, which they intended to award only to the greatest beauty.
Related Themes:
