An interesting element of literature : personification.- Within literature there are endless elements that can enrich a text, make it more complex and also beautify it with special forms of writing. One of them is personification, also known as prosopopeya, an element that is easy to use and adds style to a person’s writing.
Personification, as says the word, means applying characteristics typical of the human object, animal or even elements of nature . This can be from actions, such as “the light that falls asleep” or also from characteristics, adjectives or qualifications that belong to the human world and are transmitted by the stylistic fact to animal beings, inanimate objects, etc., for example if we say “a thoughtful night” or “a scary night”.
These forms of writing called as personification are altogether a type of metaphor because it is clear that none of them is possible but that the literary device is used to describe a reality or situation in a richer way.
Personification as part of the theater or dramatic activities
When we use the term personification in the context of dramatic activities such as theatrical performance, it can have the same meaning as the case of literature, but it can also refer to the interpreter’s act of personifying, transforming into another being that is not really.
The personification can be when an actor or actress is put on the role of, for example, a historical character or any other type of character other than himself. This type of action is, clearly, the basis of all action since in most cases actors and actresses must seek resources to become another being, someone other than themselves, another person, and from there develop their dramatic construction .
The importance of personification in art
As previously noted, the recourse or act of personifying someone is relevant to both literature and the dramatic arts. The usefulness of these techniques depends on each author, on each artist, and for this reason we cannot speak of a single way of personifying, both in writing and orally or in action.
It supposes in either case a sensitive work of creation that is unmatched and that cannot be copied by others since it has to do with the wishes, capacities and interests of those who use this resource.
