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Oxymorons
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Act 1, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Frowns and Smiles:
In Act 1, Scene 1, Helena is desperate because of her love for Demetrius. She uses figurative language to express the depth of her feelings when she runs into her friend Hermia. Specifically, personification helps Helena convey her envy and longing; because Demetrius loves Hermia, Helena feels helpless. After Hermia complains that he loves her even though she shows no interest in him, Helena responds with an expression of jealousy, complimenting her friend and lamenting her own shortcomings. She says:
O, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!
Explanation and Analysis—Love:
Helena’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 1 takes place after she runs into Hermia and Lysander. They have just told her that they intend to flee Athens and live together, away from the Duke’s tyrannical rule. Over the course of the soliloquy, she uses personification to reflects on the happiness of the lovers and on her own misery. She then decides to tell Demetrius that Hermia is leaving. Her use of personification characterizes her view of love and therefore helps the audience understand the motivation behind her decision. She says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind;
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Related Themes:
Act 2, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—The Governess:
In Act 2, Scene 1, Oberon and Titania meet each other and argue over the custody of a small boy. Their conflict is a powerful one, and, as the rulers of the world of the forest, their turmoil is reflected in the atmosphere around them. Titania describes the effect that their conflict has had on the changing of the seasons, using personification to give the moon human attributes and therefore emphasize the extent of her power and displeasure. According to Titania, because of her conflict with Oberon, the moon has grown angry. Titania says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+No night is now with hymn or carol blessed.
Therefore the moon, the governess of floods,
Pale in her anger, washes all the air,
That rheumatic diseases do abound.
Related Themes:
Act 3, scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—The Weeping Moon:
In Act 3, Scene 1, Titania uses personification while bewitched, as she is leading her new lover, Bottom (with his ass head), to her bed. Titania has had a magical love potion put on her eyes while she was sleeping and has therefore fallen madly in love through a trick. Her love gives her a single-mindedness that distracts her from the boy in her custody, giving Oberon an opportunity to take him away. In this scene, therefore, she is very focused on bringing Bottom back to her bower. Everything around her seems to enforce her desire. She asks her attendants to lead him there, and says:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The moon, methinks, looks with a wat’ry eye,
And when she weeps, weeps every little flower
Lamenting some enforcèd chastity.
Related Themes:
