Home › Glossary › Letter F

Foreshadowing verse

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Poetry that employs foreshadowing as a structural and thematic device

Detailed Definition
Foreshadowing verse employs imagery, diction, or symbolic detail early in a poem to subtly suggest future developments—emotional shifts, revelations, or tragic turns—without explicit statement; this technique builds suspense, deepens thematic layers, and rewards rereading, as initial lines gain new meaning in light of the poem’s eventual trajectory or resolution.
Example
Example in poetry:
Foreshadowing verse contains lines that anticipate later events; In Macbeth, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” foreshadows moral inversion; In “Oedipus Rex,” prophecies foreshadow fate; In “Romeo and Juliet,” “My grave is like to be my wedding bed” foreshadows tragedy
Additional Notes
Foreshadowing verse describes a line or short passage within a poem that hints at events or ideas that will occur later in the text; it's a structural tool used to build anticipation, develop suspense, or provide a sense of thematic inevitability.
Also Known As
Anticipatory verse omen stanza prophetic poetry line Adumbral verse
Skip to main content