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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—Occasion:
Discussing his plan to seek vengeance against the Duke for the poisoning of his beloved fiancée nine years earlier, Vindice uses a common idiom from the early modern period that personifies “Occasion” (meaning "opportunity") as a human figure. Urging his brother to go to court and quickly report back what he learns, Vindice states:
Go to then:
The smallest advantage fattens wronged men.
It may point out Occasion, if I meet her,
I’ll hold her by the fore-top fast enough;
Or like the French mole heave up hair and all.
I have a habit that will fit it quaintly – Here comes our mother.
In his speech, Vindice reflects upon the necessity of seizing on any small opportunity to gain access to the Duke’s family. The “smallest advantage,” he notes, can aid a man like himself who has been “wronged.” He then draws reference to Occasion, a commonly personified figure in early modern literature who represents and personifies the abstract notion of “opportunity.” If he meets Occasion, Vindice claims, he will grab and hold onto her by her “fore-top”—or, in other words, the forelocks at the front of her forehead. Numerous early modern idioms describe “Occasion” as a largely bald figure who has no hair other than these “fore-top” hairs. The idiom, then, suggests that Occasion is difficult to take hold of and can be “held” in only a brief window of opportunity.
