Literary notes about prove (AI summary)
The verb "prove" takes on a multifaceted role in literature, often serving as a means to affirm truth, test character, or establish evidence. In dramatic works, it challenges reputation or reveals betrayal—as when a character vows to demonstrate a trait or expose dishonor [1, 2, 3]—while in narrative and legal texts it becomes a tool for substantiating facts and claims, whether by record or personal experience [4, 5, 6, 7]. Philosophical and rhetorical texts extend its use to logical demonstration and argumentation, aiming to verify abstract principles or the soundness of a method [8, 9, 10]. Even in romantic or inspirational contexts, "prove" underscores personal commitment and destiny [11, 12]. Through these varied applications, the word emerges as a dynamic vehicle conveying the process of testing, verifying, and revealing inherent truths across genres [13, 14, 15].
- I replied Men fear'd the French would prove perfidious, To the King's danger.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - kiss me, sweet master Truewit, and prove him a slandering knave.
— from Epicoene; Or, The Silent Woman by Ben Jonson - Say thou ‘No,’ This sword, this arm, and my best spirits are bent To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak, Thou liest.
— from The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare - [283] “Soerditch, so called more than four hundred yeares since, as I can prove by record.”— Stow.
— from The Survey of London by John Stow - “I will prove it to you beyond a doubt.”
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - We are who we say we are; and in a day or two, when I get the baggage, I can prove it.
— from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Of course this may prove to be a false alarm; but it is my duty as an officer of the law to allow no chance to slip.
— from The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle - But this argument seems to prove more than was intended by it.
— from Kant's Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant - So, also, others, after asserting that a line is composed of points, can produce many arguments to prove that a line cannot be infinitely divided.
— from Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza - [pg 529] for it is a combination of words; it is an example of the unthinkable, which is necessary in logic in order to prove the laws of thought.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer - I told her effusively that I knew how great was my happiness, and that I was ready to sacrifice my life to her to prove my love.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - And I'm prepared to prove it up to the hilt."
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - The monks of Egypt performed many miracles, which prove the truth of their faith.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - All scriptures declare man to be not a corruptible body, but a living soul; by Kriya he is given a method to prove the scriptural truth.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - For these he bids the heroes prove their art, Whose dexterous skill directs the flying dart.
— from The Iliad by Homer
