What is pathetic fallacy?

Pathetic fallacy is a literary technique in which human emotions are personified in inanimate objects, typically in weather. For example in a section of Macbeth it is a particularly stormy night, the thunder and lightening personifing the evil of the play, or it perhaps exhibits a more celestial reaction to the deeds carried out by Macbeth and the rest fo the characters.

HP
Answered by Hannah P. English Literature tutor

6599 Views

See similar English Literature GCSE tutors

Related English Literature GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What are the key themes in Wuthering Heights and which do you think is the most important?


How do I start my essay?


How do you go about writing an English essay?


Compare and contrast the ways in which Bronte and McEwan present the journey from childhood to adulthood through their protagonists in Jane Eyre and Atonement.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning