Alegoria

An allegory is a narrative technique in which characters, events, and details convey meanings beyond their literal level, typically addressing moral, social, political, or spiritual issues. The term derives from Greek allēgoria, meaning "speaking otherwise," via Latin allegoria, and has been used since antiquity to describe works where a secondary meaning accompanies the surface story. In an allegory, symbolic figures stand for abstract ideas, groups, or historical forces, and the plot serves to illuminate a larger critique or insight.

Allegories may be explicit or veiled and can take the form of extended fables, religious visions, or political satires. They are often discussed in relation to other devices such as parables and symbolism, but differ by sustaining a coherent secondary meaning across the entire narrative rather than a single episode or moment.

Historically, allegory appears in classical philosophy and poetry, medieval didactic literature, and early modern religious and political writing. Notable examples include Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Dante's Divine Comedy, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, and George Orwell's Animal Farm, as well as various dystopian works that function as political allegory. The form remains influential in contemporary fiction, film, and visual media, where allegorical readings are common in addressing power, justice, and human virtues or vices.