Hamlet
Similes
a) "Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres" (1.5.17)
In this line from the first act of Hamlet, the ghost instructs his son to kill his uncle and in so doing, avenge his death. He asks that Prince Hamlet watch everything carefully in order to determine whether or not the Ghost speaks the truth. Just as it is the job of the stars to provide light in the darkness of night, Hamlet is asked to cast light into this dark situation. Instead of witnessing events with ignorance, Hamlet must now see everything in the light of this new information. By performing this action, he will be doing what is morally right and avenging a great wrong.
b) "What a piece of work is man!...in action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god!" (2.2.300-301).
Hamlet has come to realize that his childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have betrayed him. They are no longer his allies, but enemies of his...
We actually feel that we are there, one of the spectators, experiencing the story along with Procne and Philomela. Titus lacks these specificities and cultural details. Similarities, however, may be found in other elements. The imagery in both narratives is rich. Both Ovid and Shakespeare have a penchant for enlivening the passages with verbal imagery, particularly in the forms of simile and metaphor. Tamora's praise of the forest alludes to
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