Foreshadowing
English Language: AQA GCSE, topic 2.2.7
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is when an author gives a clue or warning about a future event before it has happened in the prose. Here are some common examples in literature:
Predictions/omens
- Predictions and omens can foreshadow events.
- E.g. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the witches' prophecies all come true.
Worry
- When characters start to worry a lot about other characters, this can sometimes foreshadow bad events to come.
- E.g. When Little Red Riding Hood's mother starts to worry about her daughter after she leaves the house, this foreshadows her encounter with the wolf.
Pre-scenes
- Sometimes, a scene that happens early on in a story foreshadows events to come.
- E.g. At the start of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, we see Harry being delivered to Privet Drive. This hints that he will be reconnected with the wizarding world later on in the novel.
Symbolism
- Things like animals and the weather can foreshadow events to come.
- E.g. The intense heat in Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet foreshadows the fight to come.
Test yourself on Foreshadowing
Which of these symbols is likely to forewarn that a King is going to be murdered?
Which of these is a common form of foreshadowing in literature?
Which of these are common instances of foreshadowing in literature?
In the story you are reading, a boy leaves his house. His father starts to worry irrationally. What might this foreshadow?