Motif
Pronounced moh-TEEF.
Motif: A recurring image, phrase or idea that develops a work's themes through repetition.
A motif is a symbol with a rhythm: each recurrence picks up the meaning of the scenes it has passed through, so the writer can develop a theme without stating it.
Motif examples
"Blood recurs through Macbeth, from the first wounded captain to hands that all the ocean cannot wash clean."
— Macbeth, Shakespeare
"The phrase 'So it goes' returns after every death in the novel."
— Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
"The faded eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg watch over the valley of ashes throughout the novel."
— The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Weather, windows and locked doors keep returning in Wuthering Heights as the boundary between its two worlds."
— Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
Spot the Motif
Score: 0/0A recurring image, phrase or idea that develops a work's themes through repetition.
"Blood recurs through Macbeth, from the first wounded captain to hands that all the ocean cannot wash clean."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Motif: common questions
What is motif in literature?
A recurring image, phrase or idea that develops a work's themes through repetition. A motif is a symbol with a rhythm: each recurrence picks up the meaning of the scenes it has passed through, so the writer can develop a theme without stating it.
What is an example of motif?
A classic example is "Blood recurs through Macbeth, from the first wounded captain to hands that all the ocean cannot wash clean." (Macbeth, Shakespeare).
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