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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Act 4, Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—Red and White:
In Act 4, Scene 4, Autolycus bursts into a song that uses the imagery of red and white:
When daffodils begin to peer,
With heigh, the doxy over the dale,
For the red blood reigns in the winter’s pale.
The white sheet bleaching on the hedge [...]
The song describes lively "red blood [reigning]" once winter recedes. This use of imagery associates spring with "red blood" or life and winter with "paleness" or death. Since Acts 1 to 3 of the play are set during the winter and Acts 4 to 5 during the spring, this imagery foreshadows the rebirth of Hermione and the discovery that Perdita is still alive in Acts 4 and 5 after their apparent deaths at the end of the first three wintry Acts.
Moreover, the sexual connotations of the imagery of the "red blood" and "white sheet" suggest that sexual and romantic coupling will follow winter. Indeed, the marital unions of Florizell with Perdita, Camillo with Paulina, and Leontes with the resurrected Hermione at the end of the play generate hope for future childbirth. In this way, the imagery of Autolycus's song both contributes to the symbolism of the seasons and foreshadows the familial and romantic resolution of the play.
Related Themes:
