The definition of foreshadowing is a literary device used by authors, writers, and filmmakers to enhance the storyline and to create more suspense.
Ways to Implement Foreshadowing
- It can be seen through a hint, or shadow, of what will happen later in the story.
- It can come up in the dialogue between characters.
- It can be a clue like a neighbor, a disagreement, or an event that seems inconsequential at the time.
- It can be a false clue or hint which is called a "red herring" which is a deliberate attempt to mislead the reader, and is widely used by mystery writers.
(noun)
- An example of foreshadowing is a loaded gun that will lead to the killer’s identity.
- An example of foreshadowing is a character that complains of a headache which turns out later to have a brain tumor.
- An example of foreshadowing is in a play by Shakespeare who was a master at foreshadowing - in Romeo and Juliet where the main characters have a dialogue about dying and in Macbeth, the witches predict that bad things will happen.