Aposiopesis

Aposiopesis 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! 

King Lear has been kicked out of his castle by his daughters and released into a raging storm. His anger leads him to make threats against his daughters that are so horrible that he can’t put them into words. 

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.

Examples of aposiopesis 

Below are examples of aposiopesis. 

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. 

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

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.

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 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? Could his mom possibly be so unfaithful? He stops himself even before finishing the thought.

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

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 con|fusion beyond it.

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. 

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Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, (2024, October 13). Aposiopesis. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/aposiopesis