Previous
Genre
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
Act 1, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Helen of Troy:
In Act 1, Scene 2, Tranio (under the guise of Lucentio) discusses his courtship of Bianca with several of the other men. Tranio tries to compare his lady love to the most desirable object he can think of. To do so, he utilizes both allusion and hyperbole:
TRANIO: [as Lucentio] She may more suitors have, and me for one.
Fair Leda’s daughter had a thousand wooers;
Then well one more may fair Bianca have.
And so she shall. Lucentio shall make one,
Though Paris came in hope to speed alone.
The phrase "Leda's daughter" is an allusion to Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world (in Greek mythology). She was so beautiful that her kidnapping resulted in the Trojan War. Tranio makes this allusion to emphasize Bianca's beauty, claiming that she will have even more suitors than Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman that Tranio can think of. Obviously, such a comparison is hyperbolic: Bianca may indeed be beautiful, but she's certainly not powerful enough to start a war. This form of elevation—placing Bianca on a pedestal, as it were—effectively turns Bianca into an object that Tranio can obsess over and, more importantly in the context of the play, possess.
Related Themes:
Act 4, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Grumio's Weariness:
At the beginning of Act 4, Scene 1, Grumio complains about his weariness, soliloquizing to the observing audience. In this passage, Shakespeare utilizes tactile imagery and hyperbole to further provide the audience with insight into Grumio's character:
GRUMIO: Fie, fie on all tired jades, on all mad masters, and
all foul ways! Was ever man so beaten? Was ever man so
'rayed? Was ever man so weary? I am sent before to make
a fire, and they are coming after to warm them. Now,
were not I a little pot and soon hot, my very lips might
freeze to my teeth, my tongue to the roof of my mouth,
my heart in my belly, ere I should come by a fire to
thaw me. But I with blowing the fire shall warm myself.
For, considering the weather, a taller man than I will
take cold.—
Grumio paints a vivid picture of his surroundings, conveying the skin-deep penetration of cold weather in the line "were I not a little pot and soon hot, my very lips might / freeze to my teeth." This statement makes use of tactile imagery and is also hyperbolic: it is highly unlikely that Grumio would be outside in such a ferocious and dangerous kind of cold. Nonetheless, this tactile imagery characterizes Grumio for the audience. He is a bit ridiculous—a character who overstates situations, confuses words, and provides comic relief.
