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Dramatic Irony
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
Key Examples in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
Act 1, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Death Waits on Thy Lust:
'Tis Pity She’s a Whore begins with a portentous conversation between Giovanni and the Friar that introduces some of the central themes of the play—in particular, the tensions between desire and duty. Their argument in Act 1, Scene 1 as they debate the ethics of Giovanni’s incestuous love for his sister Annabella foreshadows Giovanni’s eventual death as a result of his inappropriate and lustful desires:
O Giovanni, hast thou left the schools
Of knowledge to converse with Lust and Death?
For Death waits on thy lust. Look through the world,
And thou shalt see a thousand faces shine
More glorious than this idol thou ador’st.
Leave her, and take thy choice; ’tis much less sin,
Though in such games as those they lose that win.
Related Themes:
Act 1, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Not One Drop of Blood:
In Act 1, Scene 2, Florio happens upon a duel between Grimaldi and Vasquez (fighting on behalf of Soranzo) over the affections of Annabella, his daughter. He puts a stop to the fighting with fury and issues a declaration that indirectly foreshadows the extreme bouts of bloodshed that will unfold later in the play:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Vasquez: Yet the villainy of words, Signor Florio, may be such as would make any unspleened dove choleric. Blame not my lord in this.
Florio: Be you more silent!
I would not, for my wealth, my daughter’s love
Should cause the spilling of one drop of blood.
Related Themes:
Act 3, Scene 6
Explanation and Analysis—A Dagger's Point:
In Act 3, Scene 6, the Friar foreshadows the depth of Annabella’s regret and repentance regarding her incestuous affair, as well as her untimely demise:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There stands these wretched things,
Who have dreamt out whole years in lawless sheets
And secret incests, cursing one another.
Then you will wish each kiss your brother gave
Had been a dagger’s point. Then you shall hear
How he will cry ‘Oh, would my wicked sister
Had first been damned when she did yield to lust!’
Related Themes:
Act 4, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—The Marriage Yet Undone!:
During Act 4, Scene 1, Giovanni speaks in an aside, lamenting to himself about his feelings of betrayal at Annabella’s wedding. In doing so, Giovanni foreshadows the dire lengths he will go later in the play to ensure that he and his sister can preserve their incestuous relationship:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Oh, torture! Were the marriage yet undone!
Ere I’d endure this sight – to see my love
Clipped by another – I would dare confusion,
And stand the horror of ten thousand deaths.
Related Themes:
