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Pun: Difference between revisions
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In ancient times, puns were used to suggest deep truths, especially in oral societies, where sound was power. In Hebrew, the similarity of the word for ''man'' and ''earth'' strengthened a belief that humanity was formed from clay. Such puns, however, are often lost in translation (McArthur 822). | In ancient times, puns were used to suggest deep truths, especially in oral societies, where sound was power. In Hebrew, the similarity of the word for ''man'' and ''earth'' strengthened a belief that humanity was formed from clay. Such puns, however, are often lost in translation (McArthur 822). | ||
In drama and poetry, particularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, puns were common among dramatists and writers, such as in Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', when Mercutio is dying and says "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man." | In drama and poetry, particularly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, puns were common among dramatists and writers, such as in Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', when Mercutio is dying and says "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man." In modern English usage, we are apt to be jarred by the readiness of Shakespeare's time, yet few moments were unsuitable. The poet John Donne sustained the religious pun when he wrote in ''Hymn to God the Father'': "Thy Son shall shine as he shines now" (McArthur 823). | ||
In the terminology of rhetoric, punning is regarded as a figure of speech and known as paranomasia (Baldick 209). | In the terminology of rhetoric, punning is regarded as a figure of speech and known as paranomasia (Baldick 209). | ||