Epizeuxis is the repetition of words or phrases, specifically the same word or words with few or no other words in between. It emphasizes the importance of the subject and has been used by famous writers and politicians, including Shakespeare and Winston Churchill. Accidental misuse is common, but it can also be used deliberately and skillfully in comedy.
Epizeuxis is a literary term for the deliberate repetition of words or phrases. Also known as a diacope, it specifically refers to the same word or words being repeated over and over again, with few or no other words in between. Speakers and writers are normally advised not to use the same words in rapid succession, as this can be a sign of amateurish speech. In epizeuxis, however, such repeated usage serves to emphasize the importance of the subject. It has other uses as well, including comedy.
Epizeuxis is one of many literary devices, or schemes, that involve repetition. Each pattern has its own terminology, depending on where such repeating words appear in the sentence. Anaphora and epistrophe, for example, describe sentences repeated at the beginning or at the end of sentences, respectively. Epizeusis involves only those repeated words that appear next to or close to each other in the sentence. The word comes from the Greek word epizeugnumi, which means to unite or unite.
One of the earliest and most famous examples of epizeusis in English literature is found in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Hamlet, pretending to be insane, is interrogated by his mother’s adviser Polonius. When Polonius asks Hamlet what he is reading, he simply replies: “Words, words, words.” Another famous example is the line “The horror, the horror,” uttered by Marlon Brando in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
Various other great writers have employed this technique, including Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In modern times, the technique is more frequently used in public speeches by political or media figures. In 1997, future British Prime Minister Tony Blair used the phrase “weak, weak, weak” to describe John Major, who held the post at the time. The legendary Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who led England through World War II, was known for his inspiring use of epizeusis in his speeches. These included his famous speech after the Battle of Britain and his exhortation: “Never, never, never surrender.”
Accidental misuse of epizeuxis is a common mistake in speaking or writing. For this reason, it is often used deliberately and skillfully in comedy. In 1970, for example, the comedy troupe Firesign Theater first described the government’s “Department of Redundancy.” Since redundancy is another word for repetition, this served as both pun and political satire. Gertrude Stein’s famous description of Oakland, California is another humorous use of epizeuxis: “It’s not there.”
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