|
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| Allegory |
| A prolonged metaphor, i.e., a type of imagery
involving the extended use of a person or object to represent
some concept outside the literal narrative of a text, |
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Ovid. Met.I.452-73 use of Cupid’s victory over
Apollo to represent the triumph of passion over reason. |
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Vergil, Aeneid 4.173-97 |
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| Alliteration |
| Repetition of the initial identical consonant
or vowel sounds from several words in successive or closely
associated syllables, especially stressed syllables. |
| |
Let us go forth to lead the land we love.
J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural |
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Viri validis cum viribus luctant. Ennius |
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Veni, vidi, vici. Julius Caesar |
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Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.8 |
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posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma,
hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.16-7 |
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vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.35 |
| redi |
| Anaphora |
| The repetition of a word or phrase at the
beginning of successive phrases, clauses or lines; often
seen with asyndeton. |
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We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end.
We shall fight in France, We shall fight on the seas and
oceans, We shall fight with growing confidence and growing
strength in the air, We shall defend our island, whatever
the cost may be, We shall fight on the beaches, We shall
fight on the landing grounds, We shall fight in the fields
and in the streets, We shall fight in the hills. We shall
never surrender. Churchill. |
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Nihil agis, nihil moliris, nihil cogitas, quod non ego
non modo audiam, sed etiam videam planeque sentiam. Cicero,
In Catilinam |
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quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores - Vergil, Aeneid
I.9-10 |
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posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma,
hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.16 |
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Tu mihi, quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque
concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divom, - Vergil, Aeneid
I.78-9 |
| |
passer mortuus est meae puellae,
passer, deliciae meae puellae, - Catullus 3.3-4 |
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| Anastrophe |
| The reversal of normal word order, as with
a preposition following its object or a delayed conjunction,
often with the effect of emphasizing the word(s) placed
earlier. |
| |
multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem, -
Vergil, Aeneid I.5 |
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Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe - Vergil,
Aeneid I.13 |
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Progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci - Vergil,
Aeneid I.19 |
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| Aposiopesis |
| A form of ellipse by which a speaker comes
to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion (fear,
excitement, etc.) or modesty. Breaking off in the middle
of a sentence. |
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Quem ego. . . sed non possum pergere. (Whom I. . . but
I cannot go on.) |
| |
Quos ego—sed motos praestat componere fluctus - Vergil,
Aeneid I.135 |
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nec requieuit enim, donec Calchante ministro—
sed quid ego haec autem nequiquam ingrata reuoluo, - Vergil,
Aeneid II.100 |
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| Apostrophe |
| A sudden turn from the general audience
to address a specific group or person or personified abstraction
absent or present. |
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For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel.
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him. Shakespeare,
Julius Caesar |
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O maiores, quid diceretis de hac re? (O ancestors, what
would you say about these things?) |
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Contigit oppetere! O Danaum fortissime gentis
Tydide! Mene Iliacis occumbere campis - Vergil, Aeneid
I.96-7 |
| |
O patria, o diuum domus Ilium et incluta bello
moenia Dardanidum! quater ipso in limine portae - Vergil,
Aeneid II.241-2 |
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Passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,
cui primum digitum dare appetenti
et acris solet incitare morsus,... - Catullus 2.1-4 |
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| Assonance |
| The repetition of identical or similar vowel
or syllable sounds in a sequence of nearby words, for
musical and sometimes onomatopoeic effect. |
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O fortunatam natam me consule Romam! Cicero, de Consulatu |
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Nnimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem. - Vergil,
Aeneid I.80 |
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Praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem. - Vergil,
Aeneid I.91 |
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Cum primum Iliacas, Danai, venistis ad oras; - Vergil,
Aeneid II.117 |
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| Asyndeton |
| A lack of conjunctions, where one would
be likely to appear, between coordinate phrases, clauses,
or words. Often employed in connection with anaphora and
underscoring the words in a series. |
| |
We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships,
support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival
and the success of liberty. J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural |
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But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot
consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. Lincoln, Gettysburg
Address |
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quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores - Vergil, Aeneid
I.9-10 |
| |
posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.16 |
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illum expirantem transfixo pectore flammas
turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto. - Vergil, Aeneid I.44 |
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Huc ut venimus, incidere nobis
sermones uarii, in quibus, quid esset
iam Bithynia, quo modo se haberet,
et quonam mihi profuisset aere. Catullus 10.5-8 |
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| Caesura |
| A pause between words occurring within a
metrical foot; the effect at the principal caesura in
a line of verse (generally within the third foot, or in
both the second and fourth, in the dactylic hexameter)
is sometimes to emphasize the word immediately preceding
or following. |
| |
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae? Vergil, Aeneid I.11 |
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Ast ego, quae divom incedo regina, Iovisque... Vergil, Aeneid I.46 |
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| Chiasmus |
| Two corresponding pairs arranged not in
parallels (a-b-a-b) but in inverted order (a-b-b-a); from
shape of the Greek letter chi (X). |
| |
Those gallant men will remain often in my thoughts and
in my prayers always. MacArthur |
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Renown'd for conquest, and in council skill'd. Addison |
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et pacis ornamenta et subsidia belli. Cicero, Pro
lege Manilia (noun adj. adj. noun) |
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magnas urbes oppida parva (adj. noun noun adj.)
Plato, Republic 494e |
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impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae? Vergil, Aeneid I.11 |
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nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus austris... Vergil, Aeneid I.51 |
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... Martem incertae stirpis patrem... Livy, Ab Urbe
Condita I.4.2 |
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| Ecphrasis |
| Describing works of art. This device is
a part of the epic tradition. The first
example of it is in Homer's Iliad when he describes the
scenes depicted on Achilles' shield. It is also a digression
from the main narrative but generally connecting to it
thematically and sometimes describing a painting or other
pictorial representation. Instances of this device are also found in Latin poetry such as the Aeneid of Vergil and Catullus' Carmina.. |
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In foribus letum Androgeo; tum pendere poenas
Cecropidae iussi (miserum!) septena quotannis
corpora natorum; stat ductis sortibus urna.
contra elata mari respondet Cnosia tellus:
hic crudelis amor tauri suppostaque furto
Pasiphae mixtumque genus prolesque biformis
Minotaurus inest, Veneris monimenta nefandae,
hic labor ille domus et inextricabilis error;
magnum reginae sed enim miseratus amorem
Daedalus ipse dolos tecti ambagesque resoluit,
caeca regens filo uestigia. tu quoque magnam
partem opere in tanto, sineret dolor, Icare, haberes.
bis conatus erat casus effingere in auro,
bis patriae cecidere manus. quin protinus omnia
Vergil, Aeneid VI.20-33 |
20
25
30 |
|
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Est in secessu longo locus: insula portum
efficit obiectu laterum, quibus omnis ab alto
frangitur inque sinus scindit sese unda reductos.
Hinc atque hinc vastae rupes geminique minantur
in caelum scopuli, quorum sub vertice late
aequora tuta silent; tum silvis scaena coruscis
desuper horrentique atrum nemus imminet umbra.
Fronte sub adversa scopulis pendentibus antrum,
intus aquae dulces vivoque sedilia saxo,
nympharum domus: hic fessas non vincula navis
ulla tenent, unco non alligat ancora morsu.
Vergil, Aeneid I.159-69 |
160
165 |
|
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Prōgeniem sed enim Trōiānō ā sanguine dūcī
audierat, Tyriās ōlim quae verteret arcēs;
hinc populum lātē rēgem bellōque superbum
ventūrum excidiō Libyae: sīc volvere Parcās.
Id metuēns, veterisque memor Sāturnia bellī,
prīma quod ad Trōiam prō cārīs gesserat Argīs—
necdum etiam causae īrārum saevīque dolōrēs
exciderant animō: manet altā mente repostum
iūdicium Paridis sprētaeque iniūria fōrmae,
et genus invīsum, et raptī Ganymēdis honōrēs.
Hīs accēnsa super, iactātōs aequore tōtō
Trōas, rēliquiās Danaüm atque immītis Achillī,
arcēbat longē Latiō, multōsque per annōs
errābant, āctī fātīs maria omnia circum.
Tantae mōlis erat Rōmānam condere gentem! Vergil, Aeneid VI.20-33 |
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| Elision |
| Suppression or contraction of a vowel (or
vowel plus –m) or diphthong at the end of a word before
a word beginning with a vowel or a diphthong (or with
h- plus a vowel or diphthong); the phenomenon generally
reflects actual speech patterns, and it is a factor in
the metrical scansion of a line of verse, where it is
occasionally employed to suggest rapid action or for some
other special effect. |
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|
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Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis Vergil, Aeneid I.100 |
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saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus aras— Vergil, Aeneid I.109 |
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Corripuere viam interea, qua semita monstrat. Vergil, Aeneid I.418
|
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vix positum castris simulacrum: arsere coruscae Vergil, Aeneid II.172 |
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| Ellipsis |
| Omission of one or more words necessary
to the sense of a sentence but easily understood from
the context; often a form of the verb sum or a speech
verb. |
| |
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae? Vergil, Aeneid I.11 |
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haec secum: 'Mene incepto desistere victam,' Vergil, Aeneid I.37 |
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Dixit me inventum (He said I had been found – should have esse) |
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| Enjambment |
| Delay of the final word or phrase of a sentence
or clause to the beginning of the following verse, to
emphasize an idea or create suspense. |
| |
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto. Vergil, Aeneid I.2-3 |
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insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae. Vergil, Aeneid I.10-11 |
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| Framing |
| Enclosure of a line of verse by placing
two closely connected words, often a noun and modifying
adjective, at the beginning and end |
| |
quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam Vergil, Aeneid I.15 |
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Talia flammato secum dea corde volutans Vergil, Aeneid I.50 |
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| THE GOLDEN
LINE |
| A form of interlocked word order in which
a verb is positioned in the middle of the verse, with
adjectives preceding and nouns following in symmetrical
arrangement. |
| |
Disiectam Aeneae toto videt aequore classem,
Vergil, Aeneid I.128 |
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fluctibus oppressos Troas caelique ruina, Vergil, Aeneid I.291 |
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| Hendiadys |
| Use of two nouns connected by a conjunction
(or occasionally a preposition), often instead of one
modified noun expressing a complex idea; the usual effect
is to give equal prominence to an image that would ordinarily
be subordinated, especially some quality of a person or
thing. |
| |
It sure is nice and cool today! (for "pleasantly
cool") |
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I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and
my supplications. Psalms 116 |
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Perfecti oratoris moderatione et sapientia. Cicero,
De oratore |
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hoc metuens, molemque et montis insuper altos. Vergil, Aeneid I.61 |
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iura dabunt; dirae ferro et compagibus artis. Vergil, Aeneid I.293 |
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cernes urbem et promissa Lavini moenia... Vergil, Aeneid I.258-9 |
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barbarico postes auro spoliisque superbi. Vergil, Aeneid II.504 |
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Notitiam primosque gradus vicinia fecit... Ovid, Metamorphoses IV.59 |
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non est mi male, sed bene ac beate,
quod non dispereunt tui labores. Catullus 14.10-11 |
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| Hiatus |
| Lack of elision where two syllables would
ordinatily be elided, usually employed for emphasis at
the end of a clause. |
| |
posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma, - Vergil,
Aeneid I.16 |
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et vera incessu patuit dea. Ille ubi matrem. Vergil, Aeneid I. 405 |
| redi |
| Hyperbaton |
Hyperbaton, literally stepping over,
is the strategic separation of linked words for the
purpose of emphasis and is one of the things that separates
the language of poetry from that of prose. The custom
of putting a noun at the end of the line with its adjective
as the first word of the sentence is quite common in
Catullus.
This device is one of the fundamental pieces in Latin
poetry which creates the ability to arrange chiasmus,
the golden line and synchesis. |
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lasarpiciferīs iacet Cyrenīs
- Catullus, Carmina VII.4 |
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paucī, sī tibi dī favent, diēbus
- Catullus, Carmina XIII.2 |
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totum ut tē faciunt, Fabulle, nasum.
- Catullus, Carmina XIII.14 |
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Lydia dic per omnes te deos oro. Horace Odes., I.8.1 |
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| Hyperbole |
| Exaggeration for emphasis or for rhetorical
effect. |
| |
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow;
An hundred years should got to praise
Thine eyes and on thine forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest. Andrew Marvell, "To
His Coy Mistress" |
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Da mi basia mille, deinde centum,
Dein mille altera, dein secunda centum,
Deinde usque altera mille, deinde centum. Catullus 5 |
| |
Multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus
advenio has miseras, frater, ad inferias, Catullus 101.1-2 |
| |
cunctus ob Italiam terrarum clauditur orbis? Vergil, Aeneid I.233 |
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bella forent, nulli tota morerentur in urbe, Vergil, Aeneid II.439 |
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| Hysteron
proteron ("later-earlier") |
| Placing first what the reader might expect
to come last or the inversion of the natural sequence
of events, often meant to stress the event which, though
later in time, is considered the more important. |
| |
Mortuus est et hostem inruit. (He died and rushed against
the enemy) |
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Put on your shoes and socks! |
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Hannibal in Africam redire atque Italia decedere
coactus est. Cicero, In Catilinam |
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laxat claustra Sinon. illos patefactus ad aurasVergil, Aeneid II.259 |
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incensae. moriamur et in media arma ruamus. Vergil, Aeneid II.353 |
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| Irony |
| Expression of something which is contrary
to the intended meaning; the words say one thing but mean
another. |
| |
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man. - Shakespeare, Julius
Caesar |
| |
improvisi aderunt; ita digerit omina Calchas... Vergil, Aeneid II.182 |
| |
tum vero manifesta fides, Danaumque patescunt... Vergil, Aeneid II. 309 |
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| Litotes |
| Understatement, for intensification, by
denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed. (Sometimes
used synonymously with meiosis.) Use of a negative to
express a strong positive. |
| |
Haud stultus erat Cicero. (lit. Not at all stupid was
Cicero = Cicero was very intelligent.) |
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A few unannounced quizzes are not inconceivable. |
| |
War is not healthy for children and other living things.
One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day. (meiosis) |
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'Quisquis es, haud, credo, invisus caelestibus auras... Vergil, Aeneid I.387 |
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haud ignota loquor superis concessit ab oris... Vergil, Aeneid II.91 |
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Salve, nec minimo puella naso
nec bello pede nec nigris ocellis
nec longis digitis nec ore sicco
nec sane nimis elegante lingua,
decoctoris amica Formiani. Catullus, Carmen 43 |
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| Metaphor |
| Implied comparison achieved through a figurative
use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense,
but in one analogous to it. |
| |
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. Shakespeare,
Macbeth |
| |
. . . while he learned the language (that meager and
fragile thread . . . by which the little surface corners
and edges of men's secret and solitary lives may be joined
for an instant now and then before sinking back into the
darkness. . . ) Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! |
| |
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic,
an iron curtain has descended across the continent. W.
Churchill |
| |
remigio alarum, ac Libyae citus adstitit oris. Vergil, Aeneid I.301 |
| |
ingentis uterumque armato milite complent. Vergil, Aeneid II.20 |
| redi |
| Metonymy |
| When the literal term for a thing is applied
to something closely related. (Example: the crown used
to signify a king.). Substitution for one word which it
suggests. |
| |
Neptunus me terret. (The sea frightens me) |
| |
He is a man of the cloth. |
| |
The pen is mightier than the sword. |
| |
By the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread. |
| |
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris Vergil, Aeneid I.1 |
| |
Tu mihi, quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque Vergil, Aeneid I.78 |
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| Onomatopoeia |
| Use of words to imitate natural sounds;
accommodation of sound to sense. |
| |
sed circumsiliens modo huc modo illuc
ad solam dominam usque pipiabat. - Catullus 3.9-10 |
| |
At tuba terribili sonitu taratantara dixit. Ennius |
| |
vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant, Vergil, Aeneid I.35 |
| |
nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus austris, Vergil, Aeneid I.51 |
| |
Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum. Vergil, Aeneid I.87 |
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| Oxymoron |
| Apparent paradox achieved by the juxtaposition
of words which seem to contradict one another. |
| |
Festina lente. |
| |
I must be cruel only to be kind. – Shakespeare, Hamlet |
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| Personification |
| Attribution of personality to an impersonal
thing. |
| |
England expects every man to do his duty. Lord Nelson |
| |
Nunc te patria, quae communis est parens omnium nostrum,
odit ac metuit et iam diu nihil te iudicat nisi de parricidio
suo cogitare. Cicero, In Catilinam |
| |
nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus austris, Vergil, Aeneid I.51 |
| |
iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat; Vergil, Aeneid I.150 |
| redi |
| Pleonasm |
| Use of superfluous or redundant words,
often enriching the thought. |
| |
No one, rich or poor, will be excepted. |
| |
I have seen no stranger sight since I was born. |
| redi |
| Polyptoton |
| Polyptoton is the repetition either of the
same word in different forms of declension or conjugation
or of different words with a close etymological relation. |
| |
With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder. - Shakespeare,
Richard II 2.1.37 |
| |
litora litoribus contraria, fluctibus undas |
| |
Inprecor, arma armis, pugnent ipsique nepotesque.
Donatus, de Schematibus 14 |
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| Polysyndeton |
| The repetition of conjunctions in a series
of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses. |
| |
I said, "Who killed him?" and he said, "I
don't know who killed him but he's dead all right,"
and it was dark and there was water standing in the street
and no lights and windows broke and boats all up in the
town and trees blown down and everything all blown and
I got a skiff and went out and found my boat where I had
her inside Mango Bay and she was all right only she was
full of water. - Hemingway, "After the Storm " |
| |
si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque Vergil, Aeneid I.18 |
| |
Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum. Vergil, Aeneid I. 87 |
| |
omnia Mercurio similis, vocemque coloremque
et crinis flavos et membra decora iuventae Vergil, Aeneid
IV.558-9 |
| |
Horae quidem cedunt et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum
tempus umquam revertitur, nec quid sequatur sciri potest.
Cicero, De senectute |
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| Praeteritio |
| (=paraleipsis): Pretended omission for rhetorical
effect. |
| |
That part of our history detailing the military achievements
which gave us our several possessions ... is a theme too
familiar to my listeners for me to dilate on, and I shall
therefore pass it by. Thucydides, "Funeral Oration" |
| |
Let us make no judgment on the events of Chappaquiddick,
since the facts are not yet all in. A political opponent
of Senator Edward Kennedy |
| |
Barcaei. quid bella Tyro surgentia dicam Vergil, Aeneid IV.43 |
| |
itque reditque viam totiens. quid Thesea, magnum
quid memorem Alciden? et mi genus ab Ioue summo.' Vergil, Aeneid VI.122 |
| redi |
| Prolepsis |
| The anticipation, in adjectives or nouns,
of the result of the action of a verb; also, the positioning
of a relative clause before its antecedent. |
| |
incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes, Vergil, Aeneid I.69 |
| |
Vixi et quem dederat cursum fortuna peregi, Vergil,
Aeneid IV.653 |
| |
fraxineaeque trabes cuneis et fissile robur Vergil, Aeneid VI.181 |
| |
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow. |
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| Prosopopoeia |
| Prosopopoeia is a sub-category of Personification
in which inanimate objects are given human speech and
sometimes other characteristics. |
| |
|
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| Rhetorical
Question |
| |
haec secum: 'Mene incepto desistere victam,
nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem? Vergil, Aeneid I.37-8 |
| |
continuo invadit: 'tu nunc Karthaginis altae
fundamenta locas pulchramque uxorius urbem
exstruis? Vergil, Aeneid IV.265 |
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| Simile |
| An explicit comparison between two things
using 'like' or 'as'. Uses words like sicut, similis,
or velut. |
| |
My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease, Shakespeare,
Sonnet CXLVII |
| |
Reason is to faith as the eye to the telescope. D. Hume
[?] |
| |
Let us go then, you and I,
While the evening is spread out against the sky,
Like a patient etherized upon a table... T.S. Eliot, "The
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" |
| |
impulit in latus: ac venti, velut agmine facto, Vergil, Aeneid I. 82 |
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qualis mugitus, fugit cum saucius aram
taurus et incertam excussit ceruice securim. Vergil, Aeneid II.223-24 |
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Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est
seditio, saevitque animis ignobile volgus,
iamque faces et saxa volant—furor arma ministrat;
tum, pietate gravem ac meritis si forte virum quem
conspexere, silent, arrectisque auribus adstant;
ille regit dictis animos, et pectora mulcet,—
sic cunctus pelagi cecidit fragor, aequora postquam
prospiciens genitor caeloque invectus aperto
flectit equos, curruque volans dat lora secundo. Vergil, Aeneid I.148-56 |
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Qualis apes aestate nova per florea rura
exercet sub sole labor, cum gentis adultos
educunt fetus, aut cum liquentia mella
stipant et dulci distendunt nectare cellas,
aut onera accipiunt venientum, aut agmine facto
ignavom fucos pecus a praesepibus arcent:
fervet opus, redolentque thymo fragrantia mella. Vergil, Aeneid I.430-436 |
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| Synchesis |
| Interlocked word order - ABAB. |
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aurea purpuream subnectit fibula vestem Vergil, Aeneid
4.139 |
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| Synecdoche |
| A part of something used to signify the
whole. (Example: ten head of cattle, all hands on deck.)
Understanding one thing with another; the use of a part
for the whole, or the whole for the part. (A form of metonymy.) |
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Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6 |
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I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. T. S. Eliot,
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" |
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The U.S. won three gold medals. (Instead of, The members
of the U.S. boxing team won three gold medals.) |
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vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant, Vergil, Aeneid I.35 |
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incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes, Vergil, Aeneid I.69 |
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Misenum Aeoliden, quo non praestantior alter
aere ciere viros Martemque accendere cantu. Vergil, Aeneid VI.164-5 |
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| Syzygy (Thanks to Stephen for making me aware of this literary device) |
A combination of two feet in one meter, which is considered a double foot, with two feet constituting a single measure. This was typically a device of the ancients and was used in the last line of a Sapphic Strophe, which is otherwise known as a choriamb (a combination of a trochee and an iamb) in the fourth line of the verse. |
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Ille mī par esse deō vidētur,
ille, sī fās est, superāre dīvōs,
quī sedēns adversus identidem tē
spectat et audit... - Catullus 51 |
| In more modern times, this term has been known to happen when one word ends and the next begins with consonents similar in nature. |
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"The land's sharp features seemed to be . . . ." Thomas Hardy |
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| Tmesis |
| The separation of a compound word into two
parts. |
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Saxo cere comminuit brum (instead of saxo cerebrum comminuit
“he smashed his brain with a rock”). |
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nec prius absistit, quam septem ingentia victor Vergil, Aeneid I.192 |
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et multo nebulae circum dea fudit amictu, Vergil, Aeneid I.412 |
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| Transferred
Epithet |
| Application of an adjective to one noun
when it properly applies to another, often involving personification
and focusing special attention on the modified noun. |
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Primus amor Phoebi Daphne Peneia, quem non – Ovid Met.
I.452 |
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vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram; Vergil, Aeneid I.4 |
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scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit?' Vergil, Aeneid I.101 |
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| Tricolon
crescens |
| An ascending tricolon – a combination of
three elements increasing in size. |
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Non ferar, non patiar, non tolerabo. (anonymous) |
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Est vidisse satis; laudat digitosque manusque
Bracchiaque et nudos media plus parte lacertos. – Ovid
Met. I.500-1 |
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saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens
Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis Vergil, Aeneid I.99-101 |
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sis felix, nostrumque leves, quaecumque, laborem,
et, quo sub caelo tandem, quibus orbis in oris... Vergil, Aeneid I.330-332 |
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| Zeugma |
| Two different words linked to a verb or
an adjective which is strictly appropriate to only one
of them. Use of one word in two different senses simultaneously. |
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Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory. |
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Longa tibi exsilia et vastum maris aequor arandum. Vergil,
Aeneid |
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moresque viris et moenia ponet... Vergil, Aeneid I.264 |
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Sic Venus; et Veneris contra sic filius orsus: Vergil, Aeneid I.325 |
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illa redit iūvēnumque ōcūlīs animōque requīrit, Ovid Metamorphoses IV.129 |
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Aeneas tulit doloris et patrem Troia. (Aeneas carried
grief and his father from Troy.)
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