Simile and Metaphor

Simile and Metaphor Making Sense of Shakespeare’s Language

NOTES • Remember…. - If it’s yellow text, write it down!

First… • You probably already have some ‘similes’ and ‘metaphors’ memorized… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s WDSxmMo9Z0&feature=related

Simile • simile – a figure of speech (literary device) that directly compares two (or more) unlike things, using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

For Example… “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy*….” – Tik Tok, Ke$ha

“Shake it like a Polaroid picture….” – Hey Ya, Outkast

“Last name ever, first name greatest, like a sprain’ ankle boy I ain’t nothin’ to play with…” – Forever, by Drake

Shakespeare’s Example: “The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars/ As daylight doth a lamp…” - Romeo in Act II, Scene ii of Romeo and Juliet

So Romeo means: Juliet’s beauty is greater than the stars, just like the sun is greater in light than a lantern. (Greater than)

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Metaphor • metaphor – a comparison of two (or more) unlike things without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’; usually using the words ‘is’ or ‘are’

Why Use It? 1. Provides an image our brains can process 2. Gives a much more direct comparison than simile.

How does that work? Well, if I say someone is like a horse, that means they are only similar in some ways. But….. If I say someone is a horse, that means they are basically the exact same.

Some Examples… “…When it’s going good, it’s going great/ I’m [I am] Superman with the wind at his back, she’s Lois Lane…” – Love the Way You Lie, Eminem feat. Rihanna

“It’s a matter of time before we all run out, when I thought he was mine she caught him by the mouth…” – Misery Business, by Paramore FAKE

Tease/ Dangerous

“I guess she’s an Xbox, and I’m more an Atari…” – Forget You, by Cee Lo Green

She =

NEW AND AWESOME

OLD FASHIONED He = (NOT COOL IN HER OPINION)

Shakespeare’s Version… “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs:/ Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;/ Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears...” - Romeo, Act I Scene I of Romeo and Juliet

Love is…. = FIRE AN OCEAN SMOKE