Figurative Language

Figurative language is a way to analyze language. When authors use figurative language, they take a word or concept and compare it to another concept that exaggerates its meaning. Through this comparison, the writer can put better emphasis on a concept by creating a clearer and more distinct definition for the reader. Similar to imagery, the author elaborates on a concept or even a scene through language by creating a visual aspect throughout their story that engages the reader and allows them to picture the story through the details given. Although Hamlet lacks a narrator, stopping the reader from visualising a given scene, Shakespeare uses figurative language to create a setting through the language of his characters. In Hamlet's soliloquy, Shakespeare uses Hamlet's language to create an image of the current problems in Hamlet's head and kingdom: "The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks, that flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation" (3.1). Through the "thousand natural shocks" and "flesh," the reader can further understand the true pain and heartbreak of Hamlet through the image given by Shakespeare.