Hyperbole

Definition of Hyperbole: LINGUISTIC DEVICE.

Hyperbole is a simple and straightforward technique that can be
used to great effect by writers and speakers. Learning to use
hyperbole well can help elevate your prose and engage your
readers effectively.

Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting,” is a figure of

speech that involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you
meet a friend after a long time, you say, “It’s been ages since I last saw you.”
You may not have met him for three or four hours, or a day, but the use of the
word “ages” exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your wait.
Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the real
situation. Some other common Hyperbole examples are given below.

Common Examples of Hyperbole

 My grandmother is as old as the hills.
 Your suitcase weighs a ton!
 She is as heavy as an elephant!
 I am dying of shame.
 I am trying to solve a million issues these days.
It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does
make a comparison, like simile and metaphor. Rather, hyperbole has a
humorous effect created by an overstatement. Let us see some examples
from Classical English literature in which hyperbole was used successfully.

Short Examples of Hyperbole

1. A ton of worry was lifted from the beggar’s back when he received the
alms.
2. He saw a man as tall a power poll.
3. He saw his childhood friend after ages.
4. The weather was so hot that literally everything was on fire.
5. The boy was dying to get a new school bag.
6. The teacher told his students not to repeat that mistake for the
umpteenth time, but to no avail.
7. He was in such a hurry that he drove his car at a bazillion miles per
hour.
 8. The minister told the guests that the couple’s friendship was deeper
than the sea, and sweeter than honey.
9. The blacksmith’s hand was harder than the rock.
10. Their headmaster was omnipresent, as he seemed to be all
around the school all the time.
11. The businessman was so busy that he was attending to a million
calls simultaneously.
12. The old man was older than the Himalayas.
13. The mule is able to lift tons of weight uphill.
14. His classmates laughed at him, saying he had a pea-sized brain.
15. John was called the elephant of the class for his clumsiness.

Hyperbole Examples in Literature

Example #1: Babe the Blue Ox (American Folklore)
In American folk lore, Paul Bunyan’s stories are full of hyperboles. In one
instance, he exaggerates winter by saying:
“Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all
the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so
frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had
to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before.”
Freezing of the spoken words at night in winter, and then warming them up in
the warmth of the sun during the day are examples of hyperbole, which has
been effectively used in this short excerpt from an American folktale.

Example #2: Macbeth (By William Shakespeare)

From William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Act II, Scene II:

“Neptune’s ocean wash this blood

Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
Macbeth, the tragic hero, feels the unbearable prick of his conscience after
killing the king. He regrets his sin, and believes that even the oceans of the
greatest magnitude cannot wash the blood of the king off his hands. We can
see the effective use of hyperboles in the given lines.

Example #3: As I Walked One Evening (By W. H. Auden)

“I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I’ll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry.”
The use of hyperbole can be seen in the above lines in the meeting of China
and Africa, the jumping of the river over the mountain, the singing of salmon in
the street, and the ocean being folded and hung up to dry are exaggerations,
not possible in real life.

Example #4: The Adventures of Pinocchio (By C. Colloid)

“He cried all night, and dawn found him still there, though his tears had dried
and only hard, dry sobs shook his wooden frame. But these were so loud that
they could be heard by the faraway hills …”
The crying of Pinocchio all night until his tears became dry is an example of
Hyperbole.
Example #5: The Heart of Darkness (By Joseph Conrad)
“I had to wait in the station for ten days – an eternity.”
The act of waiting ten days seemed to last forever and never end.

Example #6: Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room (By William Blake)
“Ah, William, we’re weary of weather,”
Said the sunflowers, shining with dew.
“Our traveling habits have tired us.
Can you give us a room with a view?”
They arranged themselves at the window
And counted the steps of the sun,
And they both took root in the carpet
Where the topaz tortoises run.

This is a poem by William Blake in which he uses

exaggerated personification of sunflowers, which is akin to hyperbole.
Example #7: A Red, Red Rose (By Robert Burns)
“As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
O I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.”

The poet Robert Burns gives many examples of hyperbole in this piece. The
poet says that he would love his beloved until the seas are dried up, and the
rocks are melted.
Function of Hyperbole:
The above arguments make clear the use of hyperbole. In our daily
conversation, we use hyperbole to create an amusing effect, or to emphasize
our meaning. However, in literature it has very serious implications. By using
hyperbole, a writer or a poet makes common human feelings remarkable and
intense to such an extent that they do not remain ordinary. In literature, usage
of hyperbole develops contrasts. When one thing is described with an over-
statement, and the other thing is presented normally, a striking contrast is
developed. This technique is employed to catch the reader’s attention.

ANOTHER WAY TO HAVE A LOOK AT THE TOPIC.

A hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or

effect; it's an extravagant statement. In adjective form, the term is hyperbolic.
The concept is also called overstatement.
Key Takeaways: Hyperbole
 When you exaggerate something, you're using hyperbole.
 Hyperbole is everywhere, from a conversation about a good meal you ate,
to comedy acts, to literature.
 A simile or metaphor might compare things, but they don't have to be
exaggerations.
In the first century, Roman rhetorician Quintilian observed, "all people are by
nature inclined to magnify or to minimize things and nobody is content to stick to
what is really the case" (translated by Claudia Claridge in "Hyperbole in English,"
2011).

Examples of Hyperbole:
Hyperbole, or over-exaggeration, is rife in common, everyday informal speech,
from saying things like your book bag weighs a ton, that you were so mad you could
have killed someone, or that you could have eaten an entire vat of that delicious
dessert.
Mark Twain was a master at it. From "Old Times on the Mississippi," he describes,
"I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head
to foot and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far."
Humor writer Dave Barry certainly uses it with flair:
"My wife believes that men tend to have insanely high physical standards regarding
the kind of woman they're willing to settle for. She notes that a middle-aged man
can have tarantula-grade nose hair, b.o. that can cause migrating geese to change
course, and enough spare tissue to form a whole new middle-aged man, but this
man can still believe he is physically qualified to date Scarlett Johansson." ("I'll
Mature When I'm Dead." Berkley, 2010)
It's everywhere in comedy, from stand-up routines to sitcoms, used to tickle the
audience's funny bone by putting a surprising image into people's imagination.
Take the genre of "Your mama" jokes, such as, "Your mama's hair is so short she
could stand on her head and her hair wouldn't touch the ground" or "Your father
is so low he has to look up to tie his shoes," quoted in author Onwuchekwa Jemie's
book "Yo Mama! New Raps, Toasts, Dozens, Jokes, and Children's Rhymes From
Urban Black America" (Temple Univ. Press, 2003).
Hyperbole is all over the place in advertising. Just think of a negative attack ad in
a political campaign that sounds as if the world will cease to exist should so-and-
so take office. Hyperbole in ads can be visual, like in images of former wide receiver
Isaiah Mustafa for Old Spice or cheeky commercial clips for Snickers. No, wearing
Old Spice deodorant will not make you as manly as an NFL or Olympic athlete, and
being hungry does not transform Boogie into Elton John, unable to rap (cured by
eating a Snickers bar). Viewers know these claims are exaggerations, but they're
effective in making for memorable advertising.
Hyperbole: How to Use It Well
You wouldn't use hyperbole in formal writing, such as a business memo, a letter to
a business, a scientific report, an essay, or an article for publication. It could have
its place in fiction or other types of creative writing when used for effect. A little
goes a long way when making use of tools like hyperbole. Also, limiting its use
makes each hyperbolic description in the piece more effective.
"The trick to effective hyperbole is to give an original twist to obviously a fanciful
overstatement," author William Saffire advises. "'I'd walk a million miles for one
of your smiles' would no longer impress Mammy, but Raymond Chandler's 'She
was blonde enough to make a bishop kick a hole through a stained-glass window'
still has that crisp crunch of freshness." ("How Not to Write: The Essential
Misrules of Grammar." W.W. Norton, 1990.)
When composing hyperbolic statements, stay away from cliches, as those are just
tired and overused—the opposite of fresh language. The description you create
needs to bring forth surprise or delight in your audience at the image portrayed by
the comparison or description. Don't be afraid to revise a sentence or passage
numerous times before you hit on the hyperbolic statement or description you're
going to use in the final version. Humor writing is complex, and it takes time to put
just the right words together for the maximum effect.

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Hyperbole in "Romeo and Juliet"
William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is filled with examples of hyperbole,
such as when Romeo says that "[t]he brightness of [Juliet's] cheek would shame
those stars, / As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven / Would through the
airy region stream so bright / That birds would sing and think it were not night"
(Act 2). This statement is hyperbolic because Juliet is not literally shining like the sun,
and her eyes do not actually cause the birds to think that it is daytime.
Romeo tends toward hyperbole in general, as one might expect of a teenager in love.
For example, he later says, "[t]here is no world without Verona walls, / But purgatory,
torture, hell itself" (Act 3). He claims his life outside Verona is literally hell, but he is
not actually screaming in an agony for eternity.

act 3 of "Romeo and Juliet"

"Thou art like one of those fellows that when he
enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword
upon the table and says 'God send me no need of
thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws
it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need."
And then he continues on to say:
"Nay, an there were two such, we should have none
shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! why,
thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more,
or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast: thou
wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no
other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what
eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel?
Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of
meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as
an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarreled with a
man for coughing in the street, because he hath
wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun:
didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing
his new doublet before Easter? with another, for
tying his new shoes with old ribald ? and yet thou
wilt tutor me from quarrelling!"
These are easily two great examples of hyperboles. Based off of the characterization of
Benvolio we know so far, we know that Benvolio is tame as a lamb. He takes morning
walks and looks after his family and breaks up fights and generally shows concern
about his friends and their wellbeing.
HYPERBOLE EXAMPLE FROM OTHELO
(Act III, Scene III, Lines 378-383)

1st
Example:
Othello uses hyperbole to describe his anger at the possibility of Iago lying
about his wife’s infidelity in Act 3 Scene 3:
"If thou dost slander her and torture me,
Never pray more; abandon all remorse;
On horror’s head accumulate;
Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed;
For nothing canst thou to damnation add
Greater than that. "
Othello is telling Iago that if he is lying then Othello will have no pity and Iago
will have no hope for salvation. Adding horrors with still more horrors, Othello
is describing his potential rage. Othello even declares that the Earth will be
confounded with horror at Othello’s actions in such a state of madness.

2nd Example:
"Heaven truly knows that thou art false as Hell"-Othello to 

Desdemona (Act
4, Scene 2, Line 38) He's saying in this scene that he knows Desdemona is a liar
and is always lying.

3rd Example:
(Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 86-87) "...an old black ram is topping your white ewe."
This is meant to symbolize or exaggerate how Othello (Old black ram) is having
sex with Desdemona (White ewe). This hyperbole is meant to enrage
Desdemona's father into finding Othello and Desdemona and breaking them up.
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Hyperbole in Hamlet
Hyperbole in Sorrow – Act 3 scene 4.
Hamlet uses hyperbole to express his sorrow over his father's death and
mother's remarriage to his uncle. In Act 3 Scene 4, Hamlet recalls how
great his father was as he talks to Gertrude. Showing Gertrude a picture of
his father, he says, ''See, what a grace was seated on this brow? /
Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself, / An eye like Mars, to threaten
and command.'' He uses hyperbole compare his father to Greek gods like
 Hyperion, Jove, and Mars. Hamlet uses language to remember his father
as a perfect man while still grieving his mother’s remarriage.

Hyperbole in Anger – Act.1 Scene 2.

In Act 1 Scene 2 of Hamlet, we first meet the royal court and learn of Hamlet's disgust
with his uncle--both for taking over the kingship and marrying his mother less than two
months after his father's death. After everyone else leaves the stage, Hamlet speaks his
first soliloquy, or a solo speech made to let the audience know what a character is
thinking. Hamlet compares his father to Claudius, saying, ''So excellent a king; that was
to this, / Hyperion to a satyr.'' He uses hyperbole here to compare his father to
Hyperion, a Greek god who was the father of Helios the sun god. Hamlet compares his
uncle to a satyr, a woodland creature with horse-like characteristics who engaged in
revelry and debauchery.
In Act 3 Scene 4, when talking to Gertrude, his mother, Hamlet calls Claudius, ''A
murderer and a villain, / A slave that is not twentieth part the tithe / Of your precedent
lord.'' This language is hyperbolic because Hamlet exaggerates how terrible he thinks
his uncle is. To Hamlet, Claudius is not even a ''twentieth part the tithe'' that his father
was. A tithe, according to the Church, is ten percent of one's annual earnings. Hamlet
calls his uncle not even twenty percent of ten percent of how great the previous king
had been. Hamlet also exaggerates by calling Claudius a ''slave.'' He uses this
language to again imply that Claudius is on a completely different level--that of a slave
of no importance--than his kingly father.

How to Use Hyperbole in Satire

Satirists use hyperbole to demonstrate the extremity of an event or

opinion they are attempting to critique through humor. Effective
satire often starts with a central premise based on a real story and
then expands it to absurd lengths in order to draw attention to
elements of the story the writer is making fun of. When approaching
a satirical piece, consider using the following steps to effectively
use satire:
 Decide on a central premise or subject you’d like to satirize.
 List the elements of your target that stand out to you as particularly
extreme.
 Make a list of hyperbolic comparisons that over-exaggerate the
traits you are trying to satirize.
 Choose the most humorous and effective to include in your piece.
Hyperbole is a key component of satire and coming up with
examples of hyperbole to include in your satirical piece can be a
very fun brainstorming activity.
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John Keats, “A Letter to Fanny Brawne” (July 3, 1819)

I know not how to express my devotion to so fair a form: I want a
brighter word than bright, a fairer word than fair. I almost wish we
were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days—three such days with
you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever
contain.