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Motifs
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 3, Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—Abigail's Conversion:
In Act 3, Scene 3, upon finding out that her father's quest for revenge led to the deaths of both Lodowick and Don Mathias, Abigail commits herself to a life of Christian piety as a nun. This culminates in her using a metaphor to compare her life thus far to a "fatal labyrinth of misbelief," associating her Jewish faith and identity with sin:
My sinful soul, alas, hath paced too long
The fatal labyrinth of misbelief,
Far from the sun that gives eternal life.
Abigail personifies her soul, offering up an image of it pacing in a labyrinth. By design, labyrinths are intended to prevent their occupants from ever finding a way out: if lost in a labyrinth, one might end up trapped forever. Abigail thus views her lack of belief in Christianity as a fateful trap, preventing her from leading an eternal life of joy.
In any other context, this passage would seem fairly innocuous; however, in a play that heavily features other antisemitic stereotypes (i.e. a greedy Jewish man who hates Christians and wants to hoard wealth), this conversion and the associated metaphors serve to further paint Judaism as not only undesirable but also unethical and suffocating when compared to the Christian alternative.
Barbaras later affirms this negative association when he speaks to the monks who confront him for poisoning the nuns. In an attempt to deceive the monks through false repentance, Barbaras states, "I am a Jew, and therefore I am lost," thus playing on the deeply problematic idea that being Jewish is some kind of moral or spiritual failure.
Related Themes:
