Question

In the line 'I prithee, take thy fingers from my throat...', who does 'thy' refer to?

1) The speaker
2) The listener
3) A third person
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

Option 2: In the line referenced, 'thy' is an old form of 'your' and refers to the listener, indicating possession or association with them.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the line 'I prithee, take thy fingers from my throat...', 'thy' refers to the listener. The speaker is requesting that the listener remove their fingers from the speaker's throat. The word 'thy' is an archaic second-person possessive adjective, equivalent to 'your' in contemporary English. It directly addresses the individual being spoken to and indicates possession or association with the listener, not the speaker or a third person.

In the line 'I prithee, take thy fingers from my throat...', 'thy' refers to the listener. The speaker is asking the listener to remove their fingers from their throat. This usage of 'thy' is an archaic form of 'your', which was commonly used in Early Modern English. The word 'thy' is an archaic second-person possessive adjective, equivalent to 'your' in contemporary English. It directly addresses the individual being spoken to and indicates possession or association with the listener, not the speaker or a third person.