Metaphors directly substitute one idea for another, while symbols imply something else. Metaphors are used in rhetoric and can form parts of the narrative, while symbols are more succinct and can be placed within a larger narrative. Symbols are culturally specific and deeply personal, while metaphors are not. The difference between a metaphor and a symbol in art is demonstrated by comparing Botticelli’s “Spring” and Holbein’s “The Ambassadors”.
The difference between a metaphor and a symbol is that a metaphor is a direct substitution of one idea or object for another, whereas a symbol is used to imply something else. Metaphors change their surface meanings, but the inner meaning is immutable. The surface meaning of symbols is less important than the inner meaning.
A metaphor and a symbol can be included in many forms of art and literature. One difference between them is that symbols are not used in rhetoric or speech whereas metaphors are. In rhetoric, metaphors are usually used as a story or as an extended anecdote. They are used to give an example of the point the speaker or writer is trying to make.
Metaphors are continuous and can form parts of the narrative. A long metaphor is known as an extended metaphor or as an allegory. Movies, poems, and novels may include symbols, but only metaphors are used as a narrative device. Sometimes entire films, poems and novels are metaphors like “Animal Farm” which is an allegory about the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.
One difference between metaphors and symbols is that symbols are more succinct. The symbol can be a single person or object and can be placed within a piece or larger narrative. Short metaphors, where there are similar word substitutions, are not metaphors or symbols. Examples of these include metonymy and kennings, where words are replaced by others with the same basic meaning.
Carl Jung believed that there is a separation between signs and symbols. His ideas about symbols relate to his ideas about archetypes. For Jung, Christ is a symbol for the self. In this sense, symbols are culturally specific, but also deeply personal. The meanings contained in the symbols are put there by human beings.
The differences between a metaphor and a symbol in art are demonstrated by comparing a pair of paintings. Sandro Botticelli painted ‘Spring’ in 1482, while Hans Holbein the Younger painted ‘The Ambassadors’ in 1533. ‘Spring’ is ostensibly about spring using a cast of mythological beings. “The Ambassadors”, on the other hand, talks about a meeting between Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve.
On the surface “La Primavera” provides similar substitutions of mythological figures for spring. It can also bring up ideas about the flowering of the whole world and the Garden of Eden. Others, like Marsilio Ficino, see it as a metaphor for Neoplatonic love. The difference between a metaphor and a symbol here is that the whole painting is either a metaphor or an allegory.
“The Ambassadors” uses symbols to provide further information about who the figures are and the story behind their meeting. It does not attempt to tell a second story, but to provide additional information. For example, the lute next to Georges de Selve’s knee is a symbol of peace, but the string is broken to symbolize discord.
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