Climax (figure of speech)

In rhetoric, climax is a figure of speech, in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance. It is sometimes used with anadiplosis, which uses the repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses.

Climax is from the Greek word for "ladder."

Examples

• "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13:13
• "I think we've reached a point of great decision, not just for our nation, not only for all humanity, but for life upon the earth." George Wald A Generation in Search of a Future, March 4, 1969.
• "...Lost, vaded, broken, dead within an hour. William Shakespeare, The Passionate Pilgrim, XIII

References

• Corbett, Edward P.J. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press, New York, 1971.

See Also

• Anadiplosis
• Figure of Speech