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Metonymy In The Odyssey

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Obtaining and maintaining a good name is an age old art. Some are born with a good name while others must earn it. Regardless of how people acquire an honorable standing in society the loss of such a position can be costly. Although a person’s name has always been of great value, the characters in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing live in a time when one’s reputation determines a majority of one’s life. Who a person marries, where one lives, and the company he or she keeps are all affected by the quality of his or her name. Also, the loss of one’s name could come from a far lesser offense than one might expect today. Hero loses her good standing simply because of an accusation against her. At the end of act three scene four when Claudio …show more content…

Webster defines metonymy as “a figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated”. Although Fleck’s concept of metonymy agrees with Webster, he begins his argument by presenting a 16th century definition of the word from George Puttenham (18). Puttenham’s definition gives insight into the slipperiness of metonymy and how its use can conjure up many different meanings in one listening to the speaker. Staying true to one of the plays major themes, Claudio speaks figuratively about Hero and allows those attending the wedding to supply their own belief after overhearing what he says (Fleck 17). Claudio accuses Hero not of the act itself but of something related to the act of infidelity (Fleck 18). Suggesting that she is not a virgin, Claudio claims that Hero “knows the heat of a luxurious bed” (4.1.40). Figuratively linking Hero to a sexual act allows those at the wedding to make their own harsh judgments, thus increasing the shame heaped upon …show more content…

Both authors point to the writings of Juan Luis Vives to make their case (Chamberlain 4; Fleck 19). In his warning to Christian women about the fragile nature of their honor, Vives created a relic of the misogynist culture represented in Much Ado About Nothing (Fleck 21). The societal belief at the time Shakespeare is writing his play is that women are not to be trusted when it comes to sexual desires. With this ideology consuming the majority it is easy to see how Hero’s own father quickly loses faith in his daughter. Fleck claims the metonymy in Claudio’s statement paired with the misogynistic view of society allows Leonato and most others in attendance at the wedding to convince themselves that Hero’s shame is valid

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