Imagery: GCSE English Definition

What is imagery?

In GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language, imagery is description that gives the reader a richer sense of what a writer is trying to portray. This could involve appealing to the five senses, expressing the feeling of a certain scene or character, or using figurative language such as metaphors or similes to create symbolic meaning.

Why do writers use imagery?

Writers use imagery to enrich their descriptive writing. They may want to describe the sights, sounds or smells of a certain scene to transport a reader and give a fuller sense of what they are describing. 

Writers also use imagery to convey the symbolic or emotional quality of a scene or character to give their description deeper, or alternative, meaning. 

Examples of imagery

In Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the witches to describe “the fog and filthy air”. More than just giving the reader a sense of the murky atmosphere, Shakespeare is hinting at themes that will be explored later in the play, such as deception (as symbolised by the “fog”) and evil (suggested by the word “filthy”).

In J.B. Priestley’s play An Inspector Calls, the lighting changes from "pink and intimate" to "brighter and harder" when the Inspector arrives. Again, this imagery has symbolic significance: the sense of comfort the Birling family feel is shattered when the Inspector enters their home and a metaphorical spotlight is shone on their lives.

Revision resources to ace your exams

Learn how to analyse imagery, or incorporate imagery into your own descriptive or narrative writing, by using our detailed GCSE revision notes.

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes 

GCSE English Language Revision Notes

For more literary techniques, check out our list of 127 top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.