Tutoring English at the college level, you might be asked to explain the term foil.

There are hundreds of literary terms.  Most of them you never hear in everyday conversation, while many others are seldom used.  In the hallways of universities, however, literary terms are important.

Although most people never discuss them, literary terms can be very interesting.  Today we’ll define and discuss the term foil.

To a jeweler, a foil suggests a thin sheet of metal used as a backing for a gem.  The reflective quality of the foil brightens the gem from behind, enhancing its brilliance.

In literature, a foil is a character who, viewed close to another, emphasizes certain traits of the other character.  The most compelling cases that come to my mind are ones of contrast:  by noticing how good or innocent the foil is, we can’t help but realize how bad or manipulative the more central character is. Of course, the pattern can work the opposite way as well.

In Cinderella, the stepsisters can be seen as foils.  Never working at all, they live in complete self-indulgence.  By contrast, Cinderella works tirelessly to take care of them, never receiving any consideration.  The stepsisters’ selfishness and laziness emphasize how selfless and hardworking Cinderella is.

Another example of a foil might be Banquo from Shakespeare’s MacBeth.  After MacBeth and Banquo encounter the witches, Banquo wants to discuss what they said, but MacBeth himself seems less interested. MacBeth suggests that giving credence to supernatural predictions is unwise.  He seeks to give Banquo the impression that really, what the witches said is not important to him.

In fact, MacBeth murders the King in order to realize one of the witches’ predictions. He goes on to plot the murder of Banquo and Fleance, Banquo’s son, in order to thwart another of the witches’ divinations.

Banquo’s innocent wonder and curiosity about the witches’ predictions, contrasted with MacBeth’s pretended dismissal of them, show us how profoundly the witches affect MacBeth from the very beginning.  In that way, Banquo serves as a foil for MacBeth.

Of course, foil is also a math term.  You can find out about that meaning – among other topics – by searching my math category on the right side of this page:)

Source:  Literary Terms, Coles Notes Study Guide.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.