Question

Assess the quotation and complete the sentence. "Then season all with a handful or two of Melancholly Expressions, such as Dreadful, Deadly, cruel cold Death, unhappy fate, weeping eyes, &c."

In spite of the 250-year-old spellings and punctuation, on the basis of context clues of restatement, "Melancholly" must mean

a. Happy
b. Unhappy
c. Expression

Answer 1

The term 'Melancholly' in the given quotation refers to the state of being unhappy (option b) or sorrowful, used to evoke a somber tone in a text.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of the quotation provided, "Melancholly" clearly refers to the state of being unhappy or sorrowful. The passage suggests using melancholic expressions to amplify the mood of a sentence or a story. This advice is supported by the examples of expressions like "Dreadful, Deadly, cruel cold Death, unhappy fate, weeping eyes," which all evoke a sense of tragedy or despair.

The intended impact is to create a deeply somber tone within the text or narrative. This interpretation is consistent with the extracts of literature that describe scenes filled with grief, sorrow, and depression, portraying scenarios where characters are overwhelmed by melancholic feelings.

By looking at the broader context of how melancholy is depicted in literature as a profound, sometimes overpowering emotion, we can infer that this old spelling "Melancholly" indeed means unhappy.