The Kyklos is a stylistic medium that we encounter in lyric poetry. Basically, however, we can make the style figure in texts of all kinds. The Kyklos is a rhetorical figure of repetition. In this case, a sentence member or the beginning word of a sentence (verse) is used again at its end. In this way, the intensity, ie effectiveness, of a word can be intensified enormously.
The term is derived from the Greek (κύκλος) and can be translated into approximately with circle or even ring. This translation also illustrates what the stylistic means basically: he circumscribes a verse or frames it.
Example for the Kyklos in Goethe’s “Faust”
“You shall be deprived of it! shall be without! ”
The above verse is taken from Goethe’s Faust and comes from a dialogue in the study room between Mephistopheles and Faust. Through the use of the word “deprivation” at the beginning of the verse and at its end, the content is framed by the word. The focus, however, is placed on the word “deprivation”, whereby the Kyklos reinforces the statement.
Note: In ancient times, the term Kyklos also describes a view of the political cycle of a time. For the first time, Plato called the word “politea” in this context. Accordingly, the power forms of a state always revolve between democracy, aristocracy and monarchy.
Stylistic devices similar to the Kyklos
The Kyklos is a stylistic means of repetition, which is why it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish it from other figures of repetition. The individual figures even resemble each other.
Very close to the stylist are, above all, the anaphores, epiphanies, anadiploses and in the form of a rhymes of the treble. Similarities can also be found in chiasmus, as a similar structure can be seen in the chiastic cross-section.
Note: In principle, however, the Kyklos differs from the above-mentioned stylistic means in that the repetition on the one hand only refers to one word (rarely several), and on the other hand the sentence or the semantic unit is always framed or encircled.
Examples of the Kyklos
To conclude the various appearances of the Stilfigur, we would like to illustrate and illustrate the whole by means of a few examples.
Example from Lessing’s “The Young Scholar”
“An ignorant, wicked fellow!
have you not told me often enough to get out of the room?
But can not you imagine that those who may be in the Cabinet,
would also have permission to be in the room?
Ignorant, wicked fellow! ”
This example from Lessing’s “The Young Scholar” makes a very good impression that the Kyklos can extend over several sentences and still frames a semantic unity. Here, too, we have to do with a repetition of the whole sentence and not just with a single word. Through the repetition the attention is strongly directed to the statement “ignorant, wicked fellow!” And this is enormously strengthened.
Example 2 using Shakespeare
“Commemoration of March, the Iden of March commemorate”
This Shakespeare quote reveals the basic structure of the Kyklos. Here, a single word is introduced at the beginning of the verse and is named again at the end of the verse. Here, too, it is clear that the “memory” should be in the absolute foreground, which is realized by the stylistic figure.
3. Example by a constructed stanza
“No, no, that can not be: no!
Free, free, that I want to be: free!
The above example for the Kyklos is not to be assigned to any author, but is rather fictitious. Geminatio (the immediate doubling of two words: “No, no” and “Free, free”) and Kyklos were combined to intensify the statement. The framing by the style figure is very clear!
The most important overview
The Kyklos is a stylistic figure of repetition. A word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and end of a semantic unit.
This repetition reinforces a statement and places the focus on a word.
The term is also used by Plato to explain the political system of states and the sequence of different forms of government.
