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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
Chapter 14: “Le Roi est mort—vive le Roi”
Explanation and Analysis—The King's Hose:
In this scene, Twain uses hyperbole to mock the concerns of the royal household. While Tom is being dressed for a day as Edward, a team of servants pass him clothing and watch his every move. A hole is discovered in the King’s hose, throwing the household into disarray:
[The hose] finally reached the hands of the Chief Equerry in Waiting, who gazed for a moment with a pallid face, upon what had caused all this dismay, then hoarsely whispered, “Body of my life, a tag gone from the truss-point!–to the Tower with the Head Keeper of the King’s Hose!”–after which he leaned upon the shoulder of the First Lord of the Buckhounds to regather his vanished strength [...]
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