~ Handbook: Simile ~

A form of metaphor, in which the comparison between two things, images, or ideas is made explicit by the words like or as. In 1 Henry IV, Falstaff says he is "as melancholy as a gib cat or a lugged bear." Those are two similies to express what his melancholy is like. Hal chimes in with "Or an old lion or a lover's lute":

FALSTAFF:

Yea, or the drone of a Lincolnshire bagpipe.

HAL:

What sayest thou to a hare, or the melancholy of Moorditch?

FALSTAFF:

Thou hast the most unsavory similies, and art the most comparative, rascalliest, sweet young prince.

(1.2.79-84)


Related Handbook Entries:

Imagery | Metaphor