Philaster Literary Elements

Philaster Literary Elements

Genre

Play

Language

English

Setting and Context

Sicily the 17th century

Narrator and Point of View

The play has multiple narrators.

Tone and Mood

Competitive, tense, deceptive, disingenuous, and Machiavellian.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Philaster is the protagonist, whereas Pharamond and King of Calabria are the antagonists.

Major Conflict

The contest for the throne of Sicily.

Climax

Philaster’s recovery of the throne.

Foreshadowing

N/A

Understatement

Philaster understates the consequences of Bellario concealing her sex: “tell me why/Thou didst conceal they Sex, it was a fault/A fault Bellario, though they other deeds/Of truth outweighe’d it All these Jealousie/Had Flown to nothing.”

Allusions

Religious allusions such as the mention of God, Heaven, nymph, and gods.

Imagery

The play depicts the intersection between love, betrayal, and politics.

Paradox

Bellario makes a paradoxical assertion: “An innocent man may walk safe among beasts.”

Parallelism

N/A

Personification

The state of Sicily is personified: “the Prince, before his own approach, receiv'd so many confident messages from the State, that I think she's resolv'd to be rul'd.”

Use of Dramatic Devices

Stage directions, such as the use of "exeunt" and "exit," are employed throughout "Philaster" to guide the audience on the characters' entry and exit of the stage.

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