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Motifs
Definition of Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal... read full definition
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to... read full definition
Act 1, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis:
In Act 1, Scene 2, the audience is introduced to Claudius, the new king of Denmark, who has recently married Hamlet’s mother. In his opening monologue, Claudius remembers his brother, the former king, whose recent death hangs over the beginning of the play. After expanding upon the importance of mourning his brother, he encourages the kingdom and its subjects to move on with their lives. As he does so, he uses an oxymoron:
[...] (as ‘twere with a defeated joy,
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole)
