What is polyptoton?
Repeating a word in a different grammatical form.
Polyptoton: Twisting Your Words in Creative Ways
Polyptoton is a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of a single word, but in a different grammatical form. This technique adds a sense of rhythm and emphasis to your writing, while also creating a unique and memorable phrase.
One famous example of polyptoton comes from Shakespeare's play Richard II, where the phrase 'For within the hollow crown / That rounds the mortal temples of a king / Keeps Death his court' appears. By repeating the word 'crown' in different forms, Shakespeare creates a sense of mystery and intrigue, drawing attention to the central theme of the play.
Another example of polyptoton in contemporary literature comes from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, where the phrase 'There is more than one kind of freedom...Freedom to and freedom from' appears. By repeating the word 'freedom' in two different forms, Atwood creates a stark contrast between the two types of freedom, highlighting their importance to the narrative.
Whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction, polyptoton is a powerful tool that can enhance the impact and meaning of your words. So don't be afraid to experiment with repetition, and see how you can twist your words in creative and unexpected ways!
'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.'
By using polyptoton to repeat the same structure, Charles Dickens distills a complex dichotomy into a single, memorable phrase in his novel A Tale of Two Cities.
'When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past.'
William Shakespeare employs polyptoton to repeat and emphasize the word 'remembrance,' drawing attention to the theme of memory and its impact on the narrator in Sonnet 30.