There are hundreds of literary terms. \u00a0Most of them you never hear in everyday conversation, while many others are seldom used. \u00a0In the hallways of universities, however, literary terms are important.<\/p>\n
Although most people never discuss them, literary terms can be very interesting. \u00a0Today we’ll define and discuss the term foil<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n To a jeweler, a foil suggests a thin sheet of metal used as a backing for a gem. \u00a0The reflective quality of the foil brightens the gem from behind, enhancing its brilliance.<\/p>\n In literature, a foil is a character who, viewed close to another, emphasizes certain traits of the other character. \u00a0The most compelling cases that come to my mind are ones of contrast: \u00a0by noticing how good<\/em> or\u00a0innocent<\/em> the foil is, we can’t help but realize how\u00a0bad<\/em> or\u00a0manipulative<\/em> the more central character is. Of course, the pattern can work the opposite way as well.<\/p>\n In Cinderella<\/em>, the stepsisters can be seen as foils. \u00a0Never working at all, they live in complete self-indulgence. \u00a0By contrast, Cinderella works tirelessly to take care of them, never receiving any consideration. \u00a0The stepsisters’ selfishness and laziness emphasize how selfless<\/em> and hardworking Cinderella is.<\/p>\n Another example of a foil might be Banquo from\u00a0Shakespeare’s\u00a0MacBeth.<\/em>\u00a0 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. \u00a0He seeks to give Banquo the impression that really, what the witches said is not important to him.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. \u00a0In that way, Banquo serves as a foil for MacBeth.<\/p>\n Of course,\u00a0foil<\/em> is also a math term. \u00a0You can find out about that meaning – among other topics – by searching my math category on the right side of this page:)<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0Literary Terms,\u00a0<\/em>Coles Notes Study Guide.<\/p>\n