Understatement

Understatement: Expressing an idea with less emphasis or in a lesser degree than is the actual case. The opposite of hyperbole. Understatement is employed for ironic emphasis.

FROST example: "So. But the hand was gone already." - "Out, Out--", line 27 The context of this sentence shows that a boy has just had his hand cut off by a buzz-saw; it is obvious that this scene would have been far from calm, but instead gruesome, gory and full of panic. Frost, however, emphasises his idea that there is little one can do about life's fleeting nature, by ironically making a statement about something big enough of a deal to make it into the news, in a subtle, understated tone. //Ewwwwwwwiiiiiiiies :(//

SHAKESPEARE example: III.iv.75 Fool: This cold night will turn us all to fools and madmen. - The Fool is not, in fact, foolish; he says some of the most insightful lines in the play. So it is interesting that he should state the obvious amidst a dire situation; he himself is already a Fool, and as for Lear, these lines come smack in the middle of the peak of his madness. Perhaps the fact that the weather affects him so is emphasis of the Fool being one of the few mentally sound characters; maybe in his frustration and coldness he uses sarcasm and understatement to hint that they should all go inside.

//Some ridiculous weather//