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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Volume 2, Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Pearly Teeth:
In the tower at Torquilstone, Scott employs simile and hyperbole to convey Bois-Guilbert's attempt to seduce Rebecca, emphasizing the extent to which he sees her as a potential possession rather than a person:
‘Fair flower of Palestine,’ replied the outlaw, ‘these pearls are orient, but they yield in whiteness to your teeth; the diamonds are brilliant, but they cannot match your eyes; and ever since I have taken up this wild trade, I have made a vow to prefer beauty to wealth.’
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Volume 2, Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Proper Knowledge:
As he introduces Rebecca to the reader, Scott employs hyperbole to craft a vivid, totalizing description of her as being a polymath and all-around exceptional woman:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The beautiful Rebecca had been heedfully brought up in all the knowledge proper to her nation, which her apt and powerful mind had retained, arranged, and enlarged, in the course of a progress beyond her years, her sex, and even the age in which she lived. [...] Rebecca, thus endowed with knowledge as with beauty, was universally revered and admired by her own tribe, who almost regarded her as one of those gifted women mentioned in the sacred history.
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Volume 3, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Bloody Plumes:
In this dramatic moment, the author employs visual imagery and hyperbole to underscore the intensity of Bois-Guilbert’s attempt to "save" Rebecca amidst the chaos of the burning castle Torquilstone (while neglecting the wounded Ivanhoe, who lies stricken in the background):
Unlock with LitCharts A+At this moment the door of the apartment flew open, and the Templar presented himself, – a ghastly figure, for his gilded armour was both broken and bloody, and the plume was partly shorn away, partly burned from his casque. ‘I have found thee,’ said he to Rebecca; ‘thou shalt prove I will keep my word to share weal and woe with thee – There is but one path to safety, I have cut my way through fifty dangers to point it to thee – up, and instantly follow me.’
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