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Flattery (also called adulation or blandishment) is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject.

Historically, flattery has been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a king or queen
Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
. In the Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
, it was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning monarch, as Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser

Edmund Spenser was an important England poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem celebrating, through fantastical allegory, the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I....
 flattered Queen Elizabeth I in The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene is an English Epic poetry by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590, and later in six books in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza....
 and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 flattered King James I
James I of England

James VI and I was List of monarchs of Scotland as James VI, and List of English monarchs and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Kingdom of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary I of Scotland....
 in Macbeth
Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest Shakespearean tragedy and is believed to have been written some time between 1603 and 1606, with 1607 being the very latest possible date....
.

Flattery is also used in pick-up line
Pick-up line

A pick-up line is a conversation opener with the intent of seduction an unfamiliar person for sex, romance, or dating. Overt and sometimes humorous displays of romantic interest, pick-up lines advertise the wit and/or arousal of their speakers to their target listeners....
s used to attempt to initiate romantic courtship.

Most associations with flattery, however, are negative.






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Flattery (also called adulation or blandishment) is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject.

Historically, flattery has been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a king or queen
Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
. In the Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
, it was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning monarch, as Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser

Edmund Spenser was an important England poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem celebrating, through fantastical allegory, the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I....
 flattered Queen Elizabeth I in The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene

The Faerie Queene is an English Epic poetry by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590, and later in six books in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza....
 and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English people poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist....
 flattered King James I
James I of England

James VI and I was List of monarchs of Scotland as James VI, and List of English monarchs and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Kingdom of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary I of Scotland....
 in Macbeth
Macbeth

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest Shakespearean tragedy and is believed to have been written some time between 1603 and 1606, with 1607 being the very latest possible date....
.

Flattery is also used in pick-up line
Pick-up line

A pick-up line is a conversation opener with the intent of seduction an unfamiliar person for sex, romance, or dating. Overt and sometimes humorous displays of romantic interest, pick-up lines advertise the wit and/or arousal of their speakers to their target listeners....
s used to attempt to initiate romantic courtship.

Most associations with flattery, however, are negative. Flatterers are sometimes described by pejorative phrases, such as "suck-up", "ass-kisser", or "brown-noser". Negative descriptions of flattery range at least as far back in history as The Bible. In the Divine Comedy, Dante depicts flatterers wading in human excrement, stating that their words were the equivalent of excrement, in the 8th Circle of Hell.

An insincere flatterer is a stock character
Stock character

A stock character is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics....
 in many literary works. Examples include Wormtongue from J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Order of the British Empire was an English people English literature, poetry, Philology, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion....
's The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is an Epic poetry high fantasy novel written by Philology J.R.R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work....
, Goneril and Regan
Regan

Regan may mean:*Regan Harrison, Australian olympian*Bill Regan , MLB player*Brian Regan, comedian*C. Tate Regan, British ichthyologist*Donald Regan , US official...
 from King Lear
King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works....
, and Iago
Iago

Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi ....
 from Othello
Othello

Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian language short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio first published in 1565....
.

"To flatter" is also used to refer to artwork or clothing that makes the subject or wearer appear more attractive, as in:

  • The King was pleased with the portrait, as it was very flattering of his girth.
  • I think I'll wear the green dress because it flatters my legs.

See also

  • Appeal to flattery
    Appeal to flattery

    Appeal to flattery is a fallacy in which a person uses flattery, excessive compliments, in an attempt to win support for their side. Appeals to flattery are sometimes described by pejorative phrases, such as "suck-up", "ass-kisser", or "brown-noser"....
  • Shakespeare's sonnets#Dedication to Mr. W.H.
    Shakespeare's sonnets

    Shakespeare's sonnets, or simply The Sonnets, is a collection of poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as love, beauty, politics, and death....
  • The Faerie Queene
    The Faerie Queene

    The Faerie Queene is an English Epic poetry by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590, and later in six books in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza....
  • Flattering colors
    Color analysis

    Color analysis, also called skin tone color matching or color seasons, is the process of finding colors of clothing and makeup to match a person's complexion, eye color, and hair color....
  • Cape Flattery
    Cape Flattery

    Cape Flattery may refer to :* Cape Flattery ,* Cape Flattery , between North Direction Island and South Direction Island and Three Islands ,...
    , disambiguation page
  • Blarney Stone
    Blarney Stone

    The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 8 km from Cork , Republic of Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of wikt:gab ....
  • Affection
    Affection

    Affection is a "disposition or state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of meaning concerning: emotion ; disease; influence; state of being ; and state of mind Affect ....


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