Lions, Hamlet, and Figurative Language: Oh My!

Hamlet:

My fate cries out, 

and makes each petty artery in this body 

as hardy as the Nemean lion's nerve

(Act 1, Scene 4)

Figurative language is often used to describe a topic in literature using a different topic as a reference. Most often seen in the form of metaphors or similes, figurative language allows a reader to feel more deeply connected to a literary work through common knowledge of said reference. Shakespeare uses a simile when Hamlet describes the feeling of his own body after an interaction with the ghost of his father. A Nemean Lion is a mythical beast with an almost invincible hide, which could only be cut by its own claws. By comparing this beast with Hamlet’s reaction, a reader more clearly empathizes with Hamlet through common understanding of the struggles of the Nemean lion.