Aposiopesis: Example 2
The presence of Aposiopesis in the movie A Knight’s Tale displays several ways that this device can be utilized. IMDB.com describes this movie; “After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.” Near the beginning of the movie, Geoffrey Chaucer introduces the main character, William Thatcher, to an audience using a decorative, elaborate speech. Throughout the speech, Chaucer constantly uses aposiopesis, even from the first few words. Here is the first of three different examples of aposiopesis in this text to be briefly analyzed.
He begins with “My lords, my ladies… and everybody else here not sitting on a cushion.” Between the words “my lords” and “my ladies,” there is a brief pause that serves to give respect to the “lords” in the audience. This is quite different from other uses of aposiopesis, where it is usually used for placing emphasis or creating some sort of emotion. The same purpose is applied during the pause between the word “ladies” and the rest of the sentence. Chaucer gives the royalty in the audience the respect that is customary, while also surprising the audience by acknowledging the lower class portion of the audience.
Another example of aposiopesis in A Knight’s Tale is when Chaucer continues to introduce Thatcher’s (fake) history. He does this in the following lines; “…For I have the pride, the privilege, nay the pleasure of introducing to you a knight sired by knights. A knight who can trace his lineage back… before Charlemagne.” The pause between “back” and “before” serves two purposes: it further captivates the audience’s attention, and it creates suspense and interest for the audience. By postponing a chunk of the sentence that obviously needs to be finished, Chaucer builds up anticipation, which is a very effective manipulation of speech through aposiopesis.
The last example of aposiopesis in A Knight’s Tale is within the speech about even more false history about Thatcher; “In Greece, he spent a year… In silence… Just to better understand the sound… of a whisper…” All of these examples of aposiopesis are also very effective because, like the last example, they build anticipation of what words are about to come, but also use the silence throughout his spoken words to create a physical form for the actual silence of which he speaks. This helps the audience to connect with Chaucer, as well as to easily understand and actually feel the emotion that Chaucer is attempting to portray through his story.
Helgeland, Brian, dir. A Knight’s Tale Powerful Speech HD. HDCinemind, 2011. Web. 1 Dec
Rhetorical Devices and Concepts 
Easily one of my favorite characters and movies. He almost over-uses it though. He is right on the edge of being utterly annoying with it, and that’s really part of the appeal, I suppose. It’s really a very good example, as it is the most noticeable feature of his style.
After reviewing your examples and overview, I am reminded of Queen Elizabeth I’s Tilbury Speech. Though this example of aposiopesis is rather ancient, the film “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” executes this speech so well. The speech itself is unquestionably powerful and passionate, and Cate Blanchett (one of my absolute favorite contemporary actresses) delivers this speech with such grace and emotion in the film. For convenience, I’ve included a hyperlink to the speech below. This term is very powerful and emotionally moving, and I believe that you’ve handled it quite well.
Tilbury Speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3Bq1h728X0