Greek drama originally was designed to praise gods, mostly Dionysus. The plays were not tragic or comic and were designed to praise the gods and usually consisted of songs or ceremonies that were designed to raise their value among the people. Eventually they became a bit more down to Earth and dialogue and actors were developed.
A hyperbole is either a word or a sentence in a text that shows an overstatement (an exaggeration), it does not have to be literal; it is just a way to express your ideas in order to generate a contrast or to get the reader's attention.
In the excerpt the hyperboles (exaggerations) are:
- <u><em>Your name--think of it! Man,</em></u><u><em> they'll flock in droves</em></u><u><em>, these rich Londoners; they'll fight for that stock! </em></u>
When the writer says <em>"they'll flock in droves", </em>he refers to a very big amount of people together.
- <em><u>In less than twenty-four hours London was </u></em><em><u>abuzz</u></em><em><u>!</u></em>
When the writer uses the word <em>"abuzz", </em>it does not mean the city was on fire; it means the city was lively busy.
All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!
