Mee read the quoted lines from the play that follow. what literary device does shakespeare use to develop helena's character? "i am your spaniel, and demetrius the more you beat me i will fawn on you use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me neglect me, lose me; only give me leave unworthy as i am, to follow you" (shakespeare 2.1.203-205).

Metaphor/Simile

In the lines provided, we see that Helena says to Demetrius that she is his spaniel.  This does not mean that she is actually a canine, what is happening here, however, is that Helena is making a comparison between herself and how she is treated by Demetrius to that of a spaniel.  In literature, when comparisons are made between two things that not alike in order to paint a better mental picture for readers, this is known as a metaphor or simile

may i see the historical information and the excerpt?