Climax (figure of speech)
- Climax (figure of speech)
-
In rhetoric, a climax (from the Greek κλῖμαξ klimax, meaning "staircase" and "ladder") is a figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance. It is sometimes used with anadiplosis, which uses the repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses.
Examples:
- "There are three things that will endure: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13
- "I think we've reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation, not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth." George Wald A Generation in Search of a Future, March 4, 1969.
- "...Lost, vaded, broken, dead within an hour." William Shakespeare, The Passionate Pilgrim, XIII
- "...the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream
- Simple, erect, severe, austere, sublime
Similarly an anti-climax is an abrupt declension (either deliberate or unintended) on the part of a speaker or writer from the dignity of idea which he appeared to be aiming at; as in the following well-known distich:
- "The great Dalhousie, he, the god of war,
- Lieutenant-colonel to the earl of Mar."
An anticlimax can be intentionally employed only for a jocular or satiric purpose. It frequently partakes of the nature of antithesis, as–
- "Die and endow a college or a cat."
It is often difficult to distinguish between "anticlimax" and "bathos"; but the former is more decidedly a relative term. A whole speech may never rise above the level of bathos; but a climax of greater or less elevation is the necessary antecedent of an anticlimax.
See also
References
- Corbett, Edward P.J. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press, New York, 1971.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. - Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920). Greek Grammar. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. p. 677. ISBN 0-674-36250-0.
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
figure of speech — Synonyms and related words: adornment, alliteration, allusion, anacoluthon, anadiplosis, analogy, anaphora, anastrophe, antiphrasis, antithesis, antonomasia, apophasis, aporia, aposiopesis, apostrophe, beauties, catachresis, chiasmus,… … Moby Thesaurus
Climax — may refer to: Contents 1 Common general uses 2 Brand names and titles 3 Personal name … Wikipedia
Climax (narrative) — The death of Caesar in Shakespeare s Julius Caesar is a well known climax The Climax is the point in the story where the main character s point of view changes, or the most exciting/action filled part of the story. It also known has the main… … Wikipedia
climax — I. noun Etymology: Late Latin, from Greek klimax, literally, ladder, from klinein to lean Date: circa 1550 1. a figure of speech in which a series of phrases or sentences is arranged in ascending order of rhetorical forcefulness 2. a. the highest … New Collegiate Dictionary
climax — [16] Etymologically, a climax is a series of steps by which a goal is achieved, but in the late 18th century English, anticipating the culmination, started using it for the goal itself. It comes, via late Latin, from Greek klimax ‘ladder’, which… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
climax — [16] Etymologically, a climax is a series of steps by which a goal is achieved, but in the late 18th century English, anticipating the culmination, started using it for the goal itself. It comes, via late Latin, from Greek klimax ‘ladder’, which… … Word origins
Climax (Rhétorique) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Climax. Le mot climax (substantif masculin), du grec climax ( échelle ) possède plusieurs acceptions : En rhétorique, c est une figure de style qui consiste en une suite de gradations ascendantes de termes… … Wikipédia en Français
Climax (narration) — Climax (rhétorique) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Climax. Le mot climax (substantif masculin), du grec climax ( échelle ) possède plusieurs acceptions : En rhétorique, c est une figure de style qui consiste en une suite de gradations… … Wikipédia en Français
Climax (rhetorique) — Climax (rhétorique) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Climax. Le mot climax (substantif masculin), du grec climax ( échelle ) possède plusieurs acceptions : En rhétorique, c est une figure de style qui consiste en une suite de gradations… … Wikipédia en Français
Figure De Style — Cupidon est dans ce tableau l allégorie de la liaison entre Vénus et Mars. Une figure de style (du latin figura : « dessin d’un objet », par extension sa « forme ») est un procédé d expression qui s’écarte de l’usage… … Wikipédia en Français
