"The Poison Tree" (William Blake)
* The Extended Metaphor: The poem uses a tree as a metaphor for anger and resentment.
* How Blake Uses it:
* Growth and Nourishment: Blake describes the tree's growth as fueled by the speaker's suppressed anger. The tree "grew both day and night" and "was watered by the tears" of the speaker. This symbolizes how unchecked anger festers and grows stronger.
* Fruit as Poison: The tree's fruit, a "bright apple red," represents the poisonous consequences of holding onto resentment. This fruit, tempting and seemingly harmless, ultimately leads to death.
* The Serpent: The serpent, who is said to be "around the tree," symbolizes temptation and the allure of revenge.
* The Finality of Death: The poem concludes with the death of the foe, emphasizing the destructive nature of anger and the inevitability of its consequences.
"All the World's a Stage" (Shakespeare)
* The Extended Metaphor: The entire world is compared to a stage, and humans are actors performing different roles throughout their lives.
* How Shakespeare Uses it:
* Stages of Life: Shakespeare divides life into seven "acts," each representing a distinct stage: infancy, childhood, youth, adulthood, middle age, old age, and death. This highlights the cyclical nature of life and the inevitable progression from one stage to the next.
* Actors and Roles: Humans are "actors" who play assigned roles in this "play" of life. This emphasizes that our actions, appearances, and personalities are often dictated by societal expectations and our place in the world.
* Costumes and Props: Shakespeare uses imagery like "mewling and puking" (infancy), "whining school-boy" (childhood), and "sighing lover" (youth) to portray the different "costumes" and "props" (behaviors and experiences) that characterize each stage.
* The "Exit" Stage Left: The final stage, death, is depicted as a "last scene" with "his exit and his part." This underscores the inevitable end of life and the fleeting nature of our time on "the stage."
Similarities in Use of Metaphor
* Conveying Abstract Concepts: Both Blake and Shakespeare utilize extended metaphors to convey abstract and complex concepts in a more tangible and accessible way. They give concrete form to ideas like anger, resentment, the cycle of life, and the fleeting nature of existence.
* Emphasizing Symbolism: Both poets rely heavily on symbolism within their metaphors. For instance, Blake's "poison tree" represents anger and its consequences, while Shakespeare's "stage" signifies the stages of life and the roles we play.
* Creating Emotional Impact: By grounding abstract ideas in concrete imagery, both Blake and Shakespeare achieve a powerful emotional impact on the reader. The visual imagery evoked by the metaphors helps us to understand and experience the emotions and concepts being conveyed.
In conclusion, both "The Poison Tree" and "All the World's a Stage" are masterful examples of extended metaphors. Their use of imagery, symbolism, and concrete details allows Blake and Shakespeare to express profound ideas in a vivid and memorable way, making their poems both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.