Functional peculiarities of biblical imagery in Shakespearean drama

The article is devoted to the functional aspect of biblical imagery in Shakespearean drama. It deals with the functions of imagery in the Bible itself (e. g. nominative, illustrative, descriptive, emotive, emphatic, expressive, explaining, veiling, cognitive, reminiscent, cohesive, integrative, symbolic etc.), as well as the functional peculiarities of biblical images in Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies and problem plays, where besides the allusive and illustrative functions they also form connotations, subtext, sometimes - the plot and the main ideas. Specifically emphasized is the modeling function of biblical imagery in the consequent texts, where the images from the Bible serve as a model for imagery coinage. The article also covers the role of biblical imagery in creating ambiguity, along with the major situations and motives generating imagery.

allusion, biblical imagery, Bible, functional aspect, imagery, intertext, intertexuality, quotation, symbol, Shakespeare