Goneril and Regan give Lear lavish speeches; Cordelia, asked what she can say, answers, 'Nothing, my lord.' Cordelia chiefly foils her sisters in what trait?

After the witches hail Macbeth, Banquo asks why Macbeth seems to fear 'things that do sound so fair' and later warns of 'instruments of darkness.' Banquo foils Macbeth chiefly by what trait?

Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins; Charlotte Lucas accepts him, saying happiness in marriage is a matter of chance. Charlotte foils Elizabeth chiefly in what trait?

Walton begins Frankenstein seeking 'the country of eternal light'; Victor recounts ruin caused by pursuing forbidden knowledge. Victor chiefly foils Walton on what trait?

Jane Eyre loves Rochester but refuses to be his mistress; Blanche Ingram performs aristocratic courtship around him. Blanche foils Jane chiefly in what trait?

In Othello, Desdemona answers jealousy with appeals to love; Emilia finally exposes Iago and calls Othello 'the blacker devil.' Emilia foils Desdemona chiefly in what trait?

Laertes cries, 'To hell, allegiance!' after his father's death; Hamlet fears the ghost 'may be the devil.' Which conflict does the pairing set up?

Antigone insists on burying her brother despite Creon's edict; Ismene argues that women cannot fight the state. What conflict of values does the contrast dramatize?

Creon treats disagreement as rebellion; Haemon argues a ruler should listen to the city's judgment. What conflict does their pairing stage?

Othello says, 'My life upon her faith'; Iago tells the audience, 'I am not what I am.' Which conflict of values does this contrast set up?

Hester stands on the scaffold with the letter visible; Dimmesdale keeps his sin hidden while preaching to the town. What conflict does the contrast sharpen?

Nora has secretly borrowed money to save Torvald; Torvald worries most about reputation once the secret is exposed. What conflict of values does the contrast dramatize?

Catherine says love for Linton is 'like the foliage in the woods,' while love for Heathcliff resembles 'the eternal rocks beneath.' What does the contrast reveal about Catherine?

St. John urges Jane Eyre into a loveless missionary marriage; Rochester tempts her toward love outside lawful marriage. What does this contrast reveal about Jane?

Huck decides to help Jim even if he will 'go to hell'; Tom turns Jim's escape into an elaborate adventure game. What does Tom's contrast reveal about Huck?

Achilles says he would rather serve a poor man than rule the dead; Odysseus keeps seeking home through endurance and craft. What does the contrast reveal about Odysseus?

Lydia Bennet rushes into elopement with Wickham; Elizabeth's shame over misjudging Wickham changes how she sees Darcy. What does Lydia's contrast reveal about Elizabeth?

Lear misjudges which daughter loves him; Gloucester misjudges which son does. What does running the two households in parallel accomplish?

Much Ado pairs Claudio and Hero's slandered courtship with Beatrice and Benedick's witty courtship, prompted by overheard talk. What does the doubled plot accomplish?

Wuthering Heights pairs Catherine and Heathcliff's destructive bond with Cathy and Hareton's later education and attachment. What does the doubled plot accomplish?

Frankenstein frames Victor's story inside Walton's voyage; both men pursue glory at nature's limits. What does the double pursuit accomplish?

Iago tells the audience, 'I am not what I am'; Cassio cries, 'Reputation, reputation, reputation!' In what sense is Cassio a foil to Iago?

Hamlet speaks in riddling self-division; Horatio remains steady enough that Hamlet says, 'Give me that man / That is not passion's slave.' Why is Horatio a foil, not the antagonist?

Romeo speaks in Petrarchan love language; Mercutio mocks dreams and desire with bawdy wit. Why is Mercutio a foil rather than Romeo's antagonist?

Benvolio urges 'Part, fools!' while Tybalt answers, 'I hate the word, / As I hate hell.' In what sense is Benvolio a foil to Tybalt rather than an antagonist?