Allegory
- Allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events.
- It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story.
- As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor in which a character, place or event is used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and occurrences.
- It usually uses as a literary device or as rhetorical device.
- The word allegory comes from Latin allegoria.
- The origins of Allegory can be traced at least back to Homer.
- In classical literature two of the best-known allegories are the Cave in Plato’s Republic.
- Other early allegories are found in the Hebrew Bible.
- The story of the apple falling onto Isaac Newton’s head is another famous modern allegory.
- Allegorical poetry has two meanings – a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
- The objective of its use is to teach some kind of a moral lesson.
- Although an allegory uses symbols, it is different from symbolism. An allegory is a complete narrative that involves characters and events that stand for an abstract idea or event.
- Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is a spiritual allegory about a spiritual journey.
