Foreshadowing in a story is an important tool for any writer. In this guide, we’ll answer the question, ‘what is foreshadowing?’, exploring its definition and purpose.
We’ll also explore conflict and the important role it plays in writing fiction, as well as the roles of suspense and tension and how foreshadowing can help you build both.
We’ll dive into a bunch of foreshadowing examples, examining a range of books and genres before diving more deeply into the classic tales of Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men.
And we’ll also take a look at overt foreshadowing, as well as its covert counterpart before considering examples of foreshadowing and how to suggest conflict in your own stories too.
Let’s jump in.
Choose A Chapter
- What Does Foreshadowing Mean? The Dictionary Definition
- What Is The Purpose Of Foreshadowing?
- How Does Foreshadowing Create Suspense In A Story?
- What Are Some Examples Of Foreshadowing In Literature?
- How To Foreshadow Conflict In A Story
- Learn More About Foreshadowing In Literature
What Does Foreshadowing Mean? The Dictionary Definition
It’s always good to begin with a definition and build our understanding from there.
Dictionary.com’s answer to the question, ‘what is foreshadowing?’ is this:
It’s quite a simple explanation—foreshadowing is the suggestion that something will happen in the future. This could be an event, such as the arrival of a new character or villain.
In the context of writing, foreshadowing is a literary tool that writers can use to hint at or indicate the conflict that is yet to come. In other words, it’s teases them, suggests things to them, helps create a feeling or a sense that something big is just around the corner.
In short, foreshadowing is the promise of conflict.
Conflicts are like obstacles or challenges our characters have to overcome to achieve their ultimate goal (the end of the story). These conflicts can be people (like antagonists), physical obstacles (like being enslaved), or mental challenges (like anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder).
Stories thrive on conflict. Let’s take Lord of the Rings as an example. In the Fellowship of the Ring, from the moment the group set off from Rivendell things go wrong.
- Spotted by Saruman’s spying crows
- Attacked by Saruman’s magic as they try to cross the mountain
- Attacked outside Moria by the The Watcher in the Water
- Attacked in Moria by goblins and the Balrog.
I won’t say the next point to save spoilers. But the gist here is that the story is riddled with conflict. And that keeps us engaged.
So when it comes to foreshadowing in a story, it quite simply is all about teasing, intriguing and promising your readers that conflict is coming.
What Is The Purpose Of Foreshadowing?
Foreshadowing is used in stories for various reasons, some of which include:
- To create suspense
- For the creation of tension
- To make promises to the reader of conflict or action to come
A story without a promise of conflict runs the risk of boring readers. So by foreshadowing it, you can keep your reader engaged and entertained.
The purpose of foreshadowing is therefore to excite or intrigue the reader and to build tension and suspense. You’re suggesting that something significant is about to happen, some great conflict, and that’s the reason that they should keep reading.
In fiction writing, it can be best employed at the end of chapters to keep the reader hooked. They just have to keep going to see what happens.
Conflict, as you may already know from your writing, is so important to storytelling that some describe it as the heartbeat. As the Hungarian playwright Lajos Egri put it:
“Conflict is that titanic atomic energy whereby one explosion creates a chain of explosions”
When it comes to including conflict in our stories, it’s sometimes necessary to first foreshadow it. There needs to be a hint of a coming event. There is no day without night, a spring without winter.
Click Here To Learn How To Create Tension In Writing
How Does Foreshadowing Create Suspense In A Story?
Foreshadowing has the power to add dramatic tension or suspense to a story. It does this by building a sense of anticipation of what may happen next, or what conflict may come to light in the pages and chapters to come. This helps prepare the reader for the events to come and keeps them engaged, wanting to see it unfold.
When we foreshadow conflict, it has the effect of creating suspense. This nervous excitement that readers feel is the consequence of hints and promises of what’s to come.
While suspense also relates to a state of anxiety, it’s fleeting, and often it’s sought out. When we talk about being held in suspense we often relate it to a good experience. But too much suspense can cause fatigue.
As with many things in life, finding balance is important. But bear your reader in mind. If you’re writing a mystery novel, suspense and tension may be more desired.
So one important to remember is the effect foreshadowing has on a story. It’s like any other writing tool or device, such as passive voice—used in the wrong way it can have the opposite effect.
What Are Some Examples Of Foreshadowing In Literature?
Now we know what foreshadowing is and the purpose it serves in writing stories, let’s take a look at some examples from famous books to help further your understanding:
- In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will become king foreshadows the events that lead to his downfall.
- In Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” the fact that all of the suspects on the train are connected to the victim in some way foreshadows the eventual revelation that the murder was a group effort.
- In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Harry’s discovery of the Mirror of Erised foreshadows his eventual discovery of the Sorcerer’s Stone and the true identity of the story’s villain.
- In George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” the pig Napoleon’s early interest in the farmers’ whisky foreshadows his eventual corruption and tyranny over the other animals.
- In H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” the protagonist’s obsession with time travel foreshadows the events of the story in which he builds a time machine and travels to the future.
- In Stephen King’s “The Shining,” the recurring image of blood pouring from elevators foreshadows the violence that takes place later in the story.
- In Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” the repeated references to books being banned and burned foreshadow the eventual destruction of books and knowledge in the story’s dystopian society.
Foreshadowing is a technique that can be subtle or obvious, but when done well, it can add a deeper layer to the story, making it more engaging and memorable, as we can see in these examples above.
Foreshadowing In Romeo And Juliet
William Shakespeare was a master of foreshadowing conflict, and that’s one of the reasons his plays and stories are so engaging. In “Romeo and Juliet”, foreshadowing extensively to create tension and suspense throughout. Here are a few examples of foreshadowing in the play:
- The play begins with a prologue that states that the story will end in death, foreshadowing the tragic fate of the two lovers.
- Romeo’s line “O, I am fortune’s fool!” after killing Tybalt, foreshadows his own death as a result of his actions.
- The Prince’s warning to the families of Romeo and Juliet that “if ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace” foreshadows the tragic outcome of the feud between the Montague and Capulet families.
- The Friar’s warning to Romeo that “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast” foreshadows Romeo’s impulsive actions and their tragic consequences.
- The nurse’s warning to Juliet that “Your ancient, trusty, pleasant nurse,/ Hath told me all that I shall know” foreshadows the revelation of the tragic news of Romeo’s banishment.
- The line “Some consequence yet hanging in the stars” foreshadows the tragic fate that the stars have predicted for Romeo and Juliet.
- Romeo’s line “There is no world without Verona walls,/ But purgatory, torture, hell itself” foreshadows his decision to end his life when he believes Juliet to be dead.
- The line “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful,/ Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet” foreshadows Romeo’s death by suicide.
These are just a few examples of the use of foreshadowing in the play, but it’s clear that Shakespeare uses it to create a sense of tension and suspense throughout the story and to hint at the tragic fate of the two lovers.
How To Foreshadow Conflict In A Story
As writers, we know everything that happens and the reasons why. We don’t want to share that information with the reader. Not right away, at least.
There are two approaches to foreshadowing and the use of each depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
Overt Foreshadowing
First, there’s direct or overt foreshadowing. With this approach, the conflict within the story is clearly suggested to the reader. We can see an example of this type of foreshadowing in Lord of the Rings with Sauron and Saruman both building armies. This is a clear suggestion of a great battle or number of battles, which come to fruition.
Covert Foreshadowing In A Story
The second type is indirect or covert foreshadowing. With this, we want to drip feed details into the story. Little and often. Each one is a piece that reveals a tantalizing fragment, but not enough to bore, rather to excite.
How Do You Foreshadow Conflict?
- Dialogue – One of the most important tools to a writer is dialogue. Provided you don’t get too obvious or give too much away, dialogue can be used to reveal interesting details that can foreshadow conflict. Depending on how you chose to use dialogue, it could be a form of direct or indirect foreshadowing. Head here to learn how to write dialogue.
- Example – a conversation between two watchmen in the local tavern about the news of some patrols disappearing. It just so happens that our main character is heading in the same direction. This suggestion that something may happen is an example of foreshadowing in a story.
- Things Aren’t Quite Right – this is my name for those curious little details we enjoy including in our stories. The subtle clues help to build a suspenseful atmosphere. This would be useful for more indirect foreshadowing.
- Example. Our main character searches her house for her keys. She notices one of her pictures has fallen over on the shelf. It’s never happened before. The stand for the frame is firm and near new. Something isn’t quite right here. What’s going on? We’re promising conflict.
- Prologues – Prologues can be a controversial literary device, sometimes used to dump information into a story in ungratifying ways. However, if used well, their effect can be quite powerful. In respect of foreshadowing in a story, a prologue can be used to set out intrigue and potential conflict to come. This would be an example of direct foreshadowing.
- Book titles and chapter titles – to help make promises and suggestions of conflict to come, you can drop hints in the title of your book or in chapter titles too.
Foreshadowing In Short Stories
As Lajos Egri suggested, there should be a foreshadowing of conflict from the off, and this is even more applicable to short fiction.
Often restricted to 5,000-7,000 words (on average), it’s so important to make every word count. To not dally on points and keep the story moving toward its conclusion.
And that’s where foreshadowing can help.
With its power to intrigue and create suspense, a clever promise of conflict is powerful.
I think back to HP Lovecraft’s short stories. He had a great knack for building up a tale slowly but packed with suspense, always foreshadowing the great conflict that you dance through the pages to uncover.
Definitely check out his short fiction. You can download it for free on Amazon.
Learn More About Foreshadowing In Literature
Below, you can find some more resources that may help you with foreshadowing in a story.
- Examples Of How To Use The 5 Senses In Writing – an in-depth guide exploring the ways of using sensory details to enrich your stories
- What Exactly Is Prose In Writing? – an in-depth guide exploring what prose is and how it’s used
- When Do You Know To Rewrite Your Story? – a helpful guide exploring ways to analyse your story to see if it needs rewriting.
- A guide by Oregon State University on foreshadowing
- Learn about sensory language examples here
- Head here to learn more about overt foreshadowing
If you need any more help, please get in touch.
Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
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