Read the extract below and answer the question: ......O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first, Me thought she purged the air of pestilence; That instant was,...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Literature In English - 1999 (Objective) Subject: Literature In English

Question 1 Report

Read the extract below and answer the question:

......O, when mine eyes did see Olivia first,
Me thought she purged the air of pestilence;
That instant was, I turned into a hert,
And my desires, like fell and cruel hounds,
E'er since pursue me.
(Act 1, Scene 1)

The image is itself based on
Answer Details
The image in the given extract is based on an allusion. An allusion is a literary device that refers to a well-known person, place, event, or literary work, either directly or indirectly. In this extract, the speaker compares Olivia to a purifier of air, indicating her purity and goodness, and his instant attraction towards her. This image is an indirect reference to the ancient belief in the power of certain plants to purify the air and ward off disease, and it serves to emphasize the speaker's intense and immediate infatuation with Olivia.

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