What does a foil mean in literature?

foil, in literature, a character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character. Watson is a perfect foil for Holmes because his relative obtuseness makes Holmes’s deductions seem more brilliant.

How do foils work in literature?

In literature, a foil is a character that has characteristics that oppose another character, usually the protagonist. The foil character is used to highlight some particular quality or qualities of the main character. A subplot can also work as a foil to the main plot.

What is an example of a foil?

A foil is a literary character that is intended to highlight attributes in another character through opposing traits. The good character’s traits emphasize the bad character’s traits, and vice versa. The Harry Potter Series characters Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are a modern example of this type of foil.

Why does Shakespeare use foils?

In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses foils to enhance the characters namely to enhance Hamlet. A foil is a minor character who with their similarities and differences reveals character traits, that of another character opposite to them. The two are introduced as friends to Hamlet. But also they are like messengers for the king.

What is a foil in Romeo and Juliet?

A foil character is one that has traits that are opposite of another character – being melancholy to the other’s happiness, for example, or extroverted to the other’s introverted nature. Foil characters are sometimes used as comic relief, especially in tragedies such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

How do you describe a foil character?

A character that exhibits opposite or conflicting traits to another character is called a foil. Foil characters can be antagonists, but not always. Sometimes, foils will even be other characters alongside the protagonist.

What does foil stand for in English?

A handy way to remember how to multiply two binomials. It stands for “First, Outer, Inner, Last”

What are foils in Hamlet?

The foils in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet are the Fortinbras, Laertes, and Ophelia. Laertes is a major foil of Hamlet. Laertes was in the play so Hamlet would have someone to fight at the end of the play.

How does Horatio act as a foil to Hamlet?

Hamlet’s best friend Horatio is also a foil to him. When Hamlet then goes to follow the Ghost, Horatio warns him and says he to be careful, as the Ghost may be an evil spirit, something Hamlet didn’t consider as he blindly followed the Ghost.

Who do you think was Hamlet’s biggest foil and why?

The two main foils to Hamlet are Laertes and Fortinbras, young men of about Hamlet’s age who also are faced with avenging the death of a father. When Hamlet accidentally kills Laertes’s father, Polonius, thinking he is Claudius, Laertes comes roaring in from France, hot for vengeance.

Who is a foil for Romeo?

Mercutio is considered a foil to Romeo.

What role does a foil play in literature?

A foil is a character whose qualities in some way echo those of the main character, and serve to make those of the protagonist more evident. Think Neville Longbottom to Harry Potter . In certain cases, a dramatic foil plays the role of subverting an ideal that the author is parodying.

What are the characteristics of foil in literature?

A Definition of Foil Character and Famous Examples from Literature Foil Character – Definition. In short, a foil character can be defined as a character whose personality is opposite to another character. Foil Character – Examples Romeo and Juliet. ► Rosaline is completely unavailable, and has turned away all the men from her to remain chaste. Hamlet. Frankenstein. Macbeth. Antigone. Fahrenheit 451. The Crucible.

What is the role of a foil in literary work?

The role of a foil in a literary work to to provide contrast against the protagonist, in order to further highlight one or more characteristics of the protagonist.

What is the purpose of a foil?

A foil is a character whose main purpose is to offer a contrast to another character, usually the protagonist. Foils set off and accentuate the main character and are convenient ways to complicate and deepen the characterization of the protagonist. Basically, everything the foil is, the protagonist is not.