Allegory is the expression of an abstract concept by means of a concrete concept; one or more metaphors that literally mean one thing and figuratively mean another.
An example of an allegory is the figure of a blindfolded woman, with a sword in one hand and scales in the other - this is an allegory of justice (represented as the goddess Themis).
Themis statue near the Aktobe regional court in Kazakhstan
When the author uses an allegory, he does not name the subject or concept being discussed in plain text, but describes it figuratively, using some symbols that personify him/her.
Thus, a more detailed identification of one object to another appears, using a subtle (or not so subtle) hint. Moreover, the direct meaning is not lost.
The word allegory comes from the Greek αλληγορια (allegoria) - allegory, i.e. from the combination άλλος (other) + -αγόρια (to say).
This word is spelled this way because of its Greek origin αλληγορια/allegoria, not aligory or oligoria, but allegoria .
Examples of allegory
These allegories are more or less known:
- allegory of medicine - a snake entwining a bowl;
- allegory of love - heart;
- allegory of hope - anchor;
- allegory of faith - the cross;
- allegory of freedom - broken chains;
- an allegory of world peace - a white dove.
Allegory of Peace - White Dove
Examples of allegory in literature
But not only artists are masters of creating allegories. It also manifests itself in the images that writers and poets give us in their work.
In the poem “Sail” by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, the ship is a symbol of spiritual torment and solitude:
“The lonely sail is white in the fog of the blue sea!.. What is he looking for in a distant land? What did he throw in his native land?..
The waves are playing - the wind is whistling, And the mast bends and creaks... Alas, he is not looking for happiness And he is not running from happiness!
Below him is a stream of lighter azure, Above him is a golden ray of sun... And he, rebellious, asks for the storm, As if there is peace in storms!”
And in Evgeny Baratynsky’s work “For Sowing the Forest,” spring turned into a symbol of freedom, into spiritual rebirth, and gave hope:
“It’s spring again; The meadow laughs again, And the forest is cheerful with its young clothes, And the tireless plow of the villagers Roams the fields with submission and hope.
But there is no longer spring in my soul, But there is no longer hope in my soul, The sad world is leaving my eyes, Before the eternal day I lower my eyelids..."
Examples in the literature
Most often, allegories were used by I.A. Krylov is a Russian fabulist. For example, he endows animals with the following qualities:
- fox – cunning and cunning;
- donkey - stupidity and excessive stubbornness;
- ant - hard work;
- hare - weakness and defenselessness;
- Leo – courage and power;
- snake - deceit;
- pig - ignorance.
It must be taken into account that not only the fables of I.A. Krylov are based on allegory. There is an allegory in every fable.
We find more complex examples of allegory in the works of M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrin:
- In the fairy tale “The Wise Minnow,” a small fish is used as an allegorical image, which in reality symbolizes a moderate liberal. This image contains such characteristic qualities as: cowardice, selfishness, inability to enjoy life and inability to be useful to society.
- In the fairy tale “The Wild Landowner” there is an image of peasants, whom the author compares to the most hardworking insects - bees.
Mayakovsky also uses the allegory in the following lines:
"Three-story
Ghost
From the Russian side:
Got up.
Walking around Europe..."
It talks about revolution, which the author compares to a ghost. Moreover, he does not create this association himself, but borrows it from the Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Allegory and metaphor
Allegory and metaphor are both means of expressive speech; tropes often found in literature and art. The authors use them to create a colorful, visible outline, formed in a figurative meaning.
Metaphor is an expression that is used to compare seemingly unrelated objects and actions; this is a word or phrase, in a figurative sense, a comparison of one with another, based on some common characteristic (for example, silver hair).
One might say that an allegory is an extended metaphor; this is a comparison in a deeper sense.
An allegory, compared to a metaphor, can have longer passages of comparison. An allegory, in which an object or action is replaced, includes more detail than a metaphor.
Metaphor is usually found in literature, and allegory is usually found in art in general (in literature, painting, sculpture, etc.), that is, the creators of art were able to express allegory much more broadly than metaphor.
See also the meaning of Metaphor.
How does allegory differ from metaphor?
An attentive reader may ask: what is the difference between an allegory and a metaphor ? After all, both of these concepts imply allegory.
The essence is really the same - to enhance the meaning of what is written through vivid images. It's just that the scale is different here. A metaphor is, as a rule, just one word that very aptly notes character or properties.
For example, golden hands, deathly silence, passing time. But an allegory can take the form of an entire work . It is richer and deeper in meaning. And sometimes it’s even so complex that not every reader can figure out what its meaning is.
Tropes and allegory
Allegory is one of the tropes of the Russian language.
A trope is a stylistic term, a figure of speech in which the author, in order to achieve expressiveness in his work of art, uses a word or expression in a figurative sense, comparing the meaning of one term with another.
The author constructs a trope through a comparison of two terms that are similar to each other in some way.
By naming the characteristics of one object, the writer is describing another object, but by doing so he is describing something else, in this way he is trying not only to define it, but also to create a colorful and expressive image.
The trails include:
- allegory - an abstract concept is presented in a clear image; for example: allegory of cunning - fox, allegory of cowardice - hare;
- irony - theatrical “renaming” in the opposite sense of what the author actually believes, in order to express a mocking attitude; for example: “come into my mansion” (an invitation to come into a very small apartment);
- epithet - a figurative definition that vividly describes an object; for example: bitter share;
- hyperbole - exaggeration and intensification of what is being described; for example: “We haven’t seen each other for a hundred years!”;
- personification - comparison with a living being, animation of an inanimate; for example: darkness crept up;
- litota - understatement of any quality or property of what is being described; for example: the cat cried;
- synecdoche - the use of only part of a term instead of the whole, and vice versa; for example: “Take care of the penny most of all” (“penny” instead of “money”, from N.V. Gogol);
- metonymy - changing the name by another, based on the contact of meaning; for example: Moscow is sleeping (instead of people in Moscow sleeping);
- comparison - comparison of one thing with another, often through conjunctions “as”, “as if”, “as if”, etc.; for example: faithful as a dog;
- metaphor - transfer of interpretation of a word due to monotony; for example: lake mirror;
- periphrasis(a) - replacement of a term with a phrase with its characteristics; for example: black gold (instead of “oil”).
Find out more about Periphrase.
Where is allegory used?
Heraldry is based on an allegorical image: images on coats of arms convey qualities or events from the life of their owners, be it a geographical object, an institution or a noble family.
The bear on the coats of arms of the Volga cities symbolizes strength and foresight.
The same technique is widely used in art:
- painting - (example - depiction of the seasons in the form of people of the appropriate age or characteristic objects: Maella Mariano Salvador, “Spring” - image of a young woman with flowers);
- architecture - (bas-reliefs and statues on the facades: atlases supporting balconies, cornices and ceilings - an allegory of patience and endurance);
- sculpture - (philosophical and other abstract categories represented in human images - the Statue of Liberty);
- literature - (animals in fables are an allegorical depiction of human qualities).
Literary studies understand this term as a trope based on a figurative lexical meaning that complements the main one without leading to its loss.
Antonyms in Russian
Allegory in painting
Artists view the world beyond the logical, physical and material. Therefore, art masters introduce various elements into their works with the intention of creating their creations with hidden messages.
Allegorical paintings conceal messages only to enhance them, allowing artists to create a complex world of narratives and play with the world of symbols.
Allegory of painting - painting by Matveev
The painting “Allegory of Painting”, A. M. Matveev, 1725, is in the State Russian Museum.
The artist Andrei Matveevich Matveev (1701–1739) painted the painting “Allegory of Painting” in 1725 and presented it to Catherine I. Thus, the master showed his condolences regarding the death of Peter I.
This Russian artist showed the empress in the image of Minerva (goddess of war and wisdom). She is on the clouds and watches the action taking place at the easel.
Thus, the artist showed a hidden meaning about the hope for the development of Russian culture.
What is an allegory in simple words briefly
This beautiful name bears one of the techniques often used in fiction. Translated from Greek it means “allegory” .
Essentially, an allegory is a method of masking reality, with the help of which reality is described. The characteristics of the object are displayed by hints, supplemented by figurative interpretation, but the meaning remains the same.
This literary device allows you not to directly name any object, concept or person. The description is carried out allegorically, using the transfer of characteristic features, likening one to another.
Meaning of the word allegory
The progenitor of allegory is considered to be the ancient Greek poet Aesop . The life of this gifted man was not easy; he was a slave. But having a rebellious, freedom-loving disposition, he resisted the oppressors as best he could. It was he who first began to actively use this technique in his writings.
After all, openly ridiculing your masters at that time meant only one thing - certain death. Aesop created his own literary language, thanks to which he could call things by their proper names with impunity through allegories and veiled allusions. Since then, the stable expression “Aesopian language” .
Allegory in advertising
In the world of advertising, agencies often convey their message through flashy imagery. To achieve this goal, they usually rely on our intelligence and the use of visual allegories (which can be shown and explained almost instantly).
Caption: “When you smoke, your child smokes.” Vermont Department of Health, USA, Smoke Baby, KSV Agency (New York), published December 2012.
What is an allegory? Examples of allegory in literature and art
Allegory is the transfer of an abstract concept using a concrete image. For example, a skeleton with a scythe is a symbol of death, and a dove with an olive branch is a symbol of peace.
The term comes from the Greek word αλληγορία - allegory.
An example of an allegory is the ancient goddess Themis, who symbolizes justice. She is depicted as a woman with scales and a sword in her hand, as well as a blindfold. This means that justice is blind (it judges not by persons, but by deeds), it punishes severely, but before that it carefully weighs all the arguments.
The statue of the goddess Themis is an allegory of justice. Photo: Depositphotos
An allegory is always an allegory. An object or concept is not directly named, but is depicted using a system of allusions. The direct meaning of the text or image is preserved, but is also supplemented by a figurative meaning.
Titian. Allegory of Ages
