Aposiopesis | Definition & Examples

Aposiopesis [pronounced ap-uh-sahy-uh-pee-sis] is a rhetorical device commonly used by Shakespeare for its dramatic effects. The word is from the Greek for “becoming silent,” and it describes a speaker refusing to complete an utterance.

Portrait of William Shakespeare

The device is frequently used in conjunction with praeteritio. It can be described as a dramatic device, and, unsurprisingly, it is popular in the plays of Shakespeare. Here is an example below, Shakespeare, King Lear, 2, 4: 

                       No, you unnatural hags,

 I will have such revenges on you both

 That all the world shall—I will do such things—

 What they are yet I know not, but they shall be

 The terrors of the Earth! 

What is the context here? King Lear has been kicked out of his castle by his daughters, Goneril and Regan, and is now exposed to a raging storm. This bad treatment just about drives him insane with rage. His anger leads him to make threats against his daughters that are so horrible that he can’t put them into words. 

He uses aposiopesis and stops short of saying what he will do to them for mainly two reasons. They are his daughters, and although they have treated him unnaturally and brutally, he finds it difficult to imagine, at that moment, that he would treat them similarly.

The second reason is based on the fact that he has no power now. He is in his vulnerable old age, and the two daughters that he trusted with power over him and his kingdom are now abusing him. He may truly want to punish Goneril and Regan for the wrong they have done against him, but his current circumstances mean that he is in no position to do so.

What is aposiopesis?

Aposiopesis is a rhetorical device where the speaker breaks off a sentence and leaves it unfinished. In this dramatic rhetorical device, the speaker seeks to involve the emotions of the listeners through suspense. It is also a chance to display a kind of false discretion.

Why writers use aposiopesis

Aposiopesis can be used to achieve a range of effects. Let's take a look at each. 

1. It creates suspense. Starting to speak and pausing will immediately catch the attention of the listener. 

2. It creates a show of discretion. The speaker starts and then stops dramatically to show that they dare not say something inappropriate. Of course, the show of discretion may be false. It thus has an ironic effect similar to praeteritio.

3. It is dramatic. The speaker stops short in expressing themselves after being overwhelmed with emotion. This makes aposiopesis ideal for dramatic productions in theatre and for public speaking.

---

Get in touch for help in editing your literary or academic essay

Contact Us

---

Examples of aposiopesis 

Below are examples of aposiopesis. 

a. James, The Ambassadors (1903): 

Little Jeanne was a case, an exquisite case of education; whereas the Countess, whom it so amused him to think of by that denomination, was a case, also exquisite, of⁠—well, he didn’t know what.

In this case, aposiopesis is being used for humorous effect and to create a show of discretion. Perhaps, the countess is not educated at all and the speaker withdraws from making this impolite claim. The implication could also be worse. It could also mean that the Countess is a lady of "ill repute."

Shakespeare frequently used aposiopesis as I mentioned before. Famous examples include Mark Antony’s famous speech at Caesar’s funeral.

b. Julius Caesar, 3, 2: 

                                              Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

This is the famous speech by Mark Antony at Caesar's funeral. You can read more about it here: Mark Antony's Speech. The pause in speech is a device used by Antony to allow the crowd to reason as to whether or not the murder of Caesar was justified.

Before that, he gives a list of reasons why Caesar had no ambition to be king, which was the chief accusation from his killers. The pause allows the audience to digest these reasons and turn against Caesar's murderers. It also gives Antony a chance to demonstrate how much he loved his friend Caesar and grieves over his death,

c. Hamlet, I, 2: 

Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him

As if increase of appetite had grown

By what it fed on. And yet, within a month

(Let me not think on ’t; frailty, thy name is woman!)

Here, Hamlet is thinking about how his mom has, in his mind, betrayed his deceased father and her husband by marrying his uncle Claudius so quickly. The idea that his mom would be so immodest troubles him.

Did his mom have an eye on Claudius even before his father’s death? Did his mother take part in the conspiracy of poisoning his father and her husband? Could his mom possibly be so unfaithful and treacherous? He stops himself even before finishing the thought.

In the following, Burke uses the device for dramatic effect while giving a speech:

d. Burke, Speech on American Taxation (1774):

Your scheme yields no revenue; it yields nothing but discontent, disorder, disobe|dience; and such is the state of America, that after wading up to your eyes in blood you could only end just where you begun; that is, to tax where no revenue is to be found, to—my voice fails me; my inclination indeed carries me no further—all is confusion beyond it.

This speech was given by Edmund Burke in the British House of Commons on April 19, 1774. It advocated for the full repeal of the Townshend Revenue Act of 1767, namely the tax on tea which played such a big role in starting the American War of Independence.

Burke makes the tax appear to be responsible for a list of ills that benefited neither America or England. Aposiopesis is used here to point out the absurdity of the policy.

e. Twain, letter to Hartford Gas and Electric Co, 1886: 

Please take your electric light and go to — but never mind, it is not for me to suggest; you will probably find the way; and any way you can reasonably count on divine assistance if you lose your bearings.

Besides drama, aposiopesis can also be used for humorous effect as Twain does here. The author makes use of a mixture of invective, humor, and a show of discretion. 

References

Farnsworth, W. (2010). Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric. David R. Godine. 

---

Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, (2024, October 13). Aposiopesis | Definition & Examples. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/aposiopesis