Genre
Philosophical oration
Setting and Context
Unspecified setting
Narrator and Point of View
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is the narrator
Tone and Mood
Philosophical, scholarly, objective, and religious
Protagonist and Antagonist
Man is the protagonist. Attributes such as greediness that taint man’s dignity are antagonists.
Major Conflict
Man rising above fundamental flaws described in religious texts
Climax
Mirandola's description of Man's creation, which he attributes to God.
Foreshadowing
Mirandola mostly draws his oration upon flashbacks.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
Mirandola alludes to the Bible, Chaldean theology and Islam throughout his oration.
Imagery
Mirandola underscores the sovereignty and intelligence of man in his oration.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
Man’s compared to other creatures to underscore his dominance.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Man and creature denote human beings (both male and female).
Personification
Seeds are personified because they can be pregnant.
A chameleon is personified when it is equated to man.
