Symbols

Symbols are a devices used to employ a meaning other than the literal definition; thus, creating complexity within their literature. Symbols could be objects, places, events or even characters in either fiction or drama. An example of a poem containing symbols is the poem by Yeats, A Second Coming. The second line, "The falcon cannot hear the falconer" is a symbol that represents the 'falcon' as the people in society and the 'falconer' as religion (or God). So, the theme portrayed is that people are losing faith in God or religion. Also, a common symbol used in the poem is 'desert' which represents the theme of isolation or loneliness. Another type of literature that contains symbols is Shakespeare's Hamlet. One of the most prominent symbols in the play is the play within the play: The Murder of Gonzago. The play symbolizes Hamlet's clever idea to discover the murderer of his father, Claudius, by expressing the 'fatherly figure' as the snake while observing Claudius's smirks to reveal the concept of Hamlet's intentional idea. Another symbol in the play is during the speech between the Ghost and Hamlet; the Ghost describes light and dark images which usually connotes life and death.