A rhetorical or literary technique that portrays the character, disposition, or emotions of a person through their words and actions.
From Greek ēthos (character) + poiein (to make). This classical rhetoric term describes how writers create character through speech and deed rather than description.
Shakespeare uses ethopoeia constantly—characters reveal themselves through dialogue and action, which is why Hamlet's 'To be or not to be' tells us everything about his character.
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