OF FOILS "It was the best of times‚ it was the worst of times […] we were all going directly to Heaven‚ we were all going directly the other way" (Dickens 7). Charles Dickens "[influenced] the development of the serial novel" and created many classics (Pool 389). Only Shakespeare used the same writing techniques as Dickens (Engel). The novel "A Tale of Two Cities" is a grand example of character foils and doubling within one of Dickens ’ novels. The use of England‚ France‚ and the characters makes
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Hamlet’s Foils In life‚ comparing an individual to their contrary often reveals telling traits and offers a great deal of insight into their character. When implemented successfully‚ as Shakespeare does in his infamous play Hamlet‚ foils greatly enrich literature‚ revealing more about characters and their distinctive qualities. Through contrasting Hamlet’s character to those of Fortinbras‚ Prince of Norway and Horatio‚ Hamlet’s closest friend‚ Hamlets distinguishing
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Usages of Foil Characters Everyone in this world has someone who is contradictory to them. Similarly‚ in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho‚ the protagonist‚ Santiago‚ has many foils. Santiago‚ the hero of this story‚ is an adventurous shepherd from a small Andalusian town who sets out to achieve his personal legend‚ his dream‚ to find treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. The author of The Alchemist uses foils to allude to Santiago’s traits‚ and helps the reader apprehend the different situations and other
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In fiction‚ a foil character contrasts with another character in the story in order to highlight certain qualities of that other character. The foil is usually either dramatically different or is extremely similar to that other character‚ but a key difference sets them apart. In the work of Shakespeare‚ it’s common for there to be many instances of a foil being used to highlight key traits in the protagonist’s character‚ or in several other characters in the play. In Hamlet‚ Laertes and Hamlet act
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Macduff Foils Lady Macbeth In many of Shakespeare’s plays‚ there is a major character‚ and a lesser character whose character traits directly contrast those of the major character. This literary device is called a foil. One example of this exists in the play Romeo and Juliet‚ in which Mercutrio foils Romeo’s character with his disdain for love and belief in man making his own destiny. Another example of foil exists in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The character of Lady Macduff foils Lady Macbeth
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The Use of Foils for the Characterisation of Hal in Henry IV Part I Common practice in the sixteenth century was to place a leaf of foil under a gemstone to make it shine more brightly. From this practice arose the current use of the word‚ whereby a literary character’s qualities are enhanced by a ‘foil’- another character who seems to be the polar opposite. In Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part I‚ Prince Harry (nicknamed Hal) has a number of foils‚ and in contrast to all of them he certainly
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her astonished beyond expression. In the short passage from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice‚ the author establishes a foil relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth through the use of narrative voice and the notion of pride. Austen uses a narrative voice to highlight the state of shock Elizabeth was in when Mr. Darcy proposed to her. Further‚ it also emphasizes on the foil relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. After he confronts her of his feelings‚ the narration reads‚ “She stared
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In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen‚ the main character Elizabeth Bennet is exceedingly strong willed‚ while her sister‚ Jane Bennet is softer spoken. Jane is a foil to Elizabeth in order to highlight Elizabeth’s characteristics. Elizabeth is a clever and sarcastic young woman. She does not wish to settle for just anyone‚ even though her mother insisted she get married as soon as possible. Elizabeth has a troublesome time being serious‚ often making jokes at the expense of others. She makes
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or a bad thing? But is there such a thing as too much quality? In the short story “Harris Bergeron‚” author Kurt Vonnegut creates a society where total quality is achieved and citizens live their lives without freedom or independence. Throughout his use of character‚ setting and plot‚ Vonnegut teaches an important lesson of the dangers of total equality. In the short story “Harrison Bergeron” the characters have become miserable and depressed due to the fact that they are living under oppression
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The Foils of Jane Though Blanche‚ from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë‚ thinks that opposites attract and thus that she will marry Rochester‚ Brontë has different ideas about foils. Near the end of the novel Jane marries Rochester effectively quieting Blanche’s ideas. However‚ Brontë does use foils in the novel for a different reason. She uses characters will opposite personalities to reveal more about them‚ and to keep the reader from overlooking many of the major characters’ traits. For instance
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