|
Foil
A foil is a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist , and, in so doing, highlights various facets of the main character's personality. more...
 Home
Bath & Body
Dietary Supplements,...
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Health Care
Makeup
Massage
Medical, Special Needs
Nail
 Acrylic Nails, Tips
Cuticle Creams, Softeners
Files, Implements
Hand Cream
Manicure Kits
Nail Art
 Foil
Glitter
Other
Paint
Stickers
Nail Dryers
Nail Polish
Other Items
Paraffin Spas
Pedicure & Foot Spas
Pedicure Kits
Natural Therapies
Oral Care
Skin Care
Vision Care
A foil has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as, frequently, superficial traits or personal history. The author may use the foil to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief. The term refers to the practice of putting polished foil underneath a gemstone to make it shine more brightly . It is also likely that widespread use of the word \"foil\" in literature comes from the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, in which Hamlet says that \"I'll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance / Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed\" (Act 5 Scene 2).
A foil's complementary role may be emphasized by physical contrasts. Dreamy and impractical Don Quixote is thin; realistic, practical Sancho Panza is fat. Sherlock Holmes is tall and lean; Doctor Watson, although at first, on his return from Afghanistan, described as lean, is later described as \"middle-sized, strongly built.\"
In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot. This is especially true in the case of metafiction. One example of a plot being used as a foil can be seen in the graphic novel Watchmen, in which a comic book within the Watchmen universe presents a story similar to that of one of the main characters.
The \"straight man\" in a comedy duo is a comic foil. While the straight man portrays a reasonable and serious character, the other portrays a funny, dumb, or simply unorthodox one. The humor in these partnerships derives from the interactions between these drastically different personalities.
Examples
Foils are very common in literature, film and pop culture. The lists below are meant as representative samples to illustrate the nature of foil characters; it is not intended to be a comprehensive list.
Classical literature
In Jane Eyre, St. John Rivers is a foil for Rochester.;
In Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras, whose fathers have been killed, are foils for Hamlet.;
In Macbeth, Banquo is a foil for Macbeth because they both met with the \"weird sisters\" yet Banquo remains loyal to Duncan.;
In Othello, Emilia is a foil for Desdemona.;
In Romeo and Juliet, Tybalt is a foil for Romeo.;
In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Olivia contrasts to Viola, the main character, because, although both lost their father and brother (even though Viola does not know that her brother is actually alive), Viola is willing to move on while Olivia shuts herself from the presence of any man for seven years. This is just one of the many cases in which Viola and Olivia contrast.;
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abby and Elizabeth Proctor are foils.;
In Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Svidrigailov is a foil to Raskolnikov, as are Sonya, Luzhin, Razumihin, and Marmeladov, arguably.;
In Antigone, Ismene, being thoughtful and calm, serves as a foil to irrational, impulsive Antigone.;
In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the character of Lennie is a foil to the character of George, both in physical appearance and in character.;
In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, Kristine Linde serves as a foil for the main Female protagonist Nora.;
In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Biddy serves as a foil for Estella.;
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Mr Collins serves as a foil for Mr Darcy.;
In Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier, Ruby can be considered a foil for Ada Monroe.;
In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, obedient Sid can be considered a foil for disobedient Tom.;
In The Stranger (novel), by Albert Camus, Raymond Sintés is a foil for Mersault.;
Read more at Wikipedia.org
|
|
Contact
