Apostrophe is a figure of speech consisting of speech directed in an abstract direction, to a person not present, or to a thing. In dramatic works and poetry, it is often introduced by the word "O" (not the exclamation "oh").

It is related to personification, although in apostrophe, objects or abstractions are implied to have certain human qualities (such as understanding) by the very fact that the speaker is addressing them as he would a person in his presence.

It is derived from the Greek apo ("away from") and strephein (“to turn”).

Examples

• "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:55
• "O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, / That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! / Thou art the ruins of the noblest man / That ever lived in the tide of times." Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1.
• "To what green altar, O mysterious priest, / Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies, / And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?" John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn
• "O eloquent, just, and mighty Death!" Sir Walter Raleigh, History of the World

See also apostrophe (mark).

See Also

Figure of Speech