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Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Key Examples in The Playboy of the Western World
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Musical and Playful:
J. M. Synge often uses alliteration in The Playboy of the Western World to showcase the musicality of Irish English. A good example of this appears in Act 1 in an exchange between Christy and Pegeen:
CHRISTY. his feelings hurt.—That’s an unkindly thing to be saying to a poor orphaned traveller, has a prison behind him, and hanging before, and hell’s gap gaping below.
PEGEEN. with a sign to the men to be quiet.—You’re only saying it. You did nothing at all. A soft lad the like of you wouldn’t slit the windpipe of a screeching sow.
Related Themes:
