Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel, –
Will they not hear? What, ho! you men, you beasts,
That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
With purple fountains issuing from your veins,
On pain of torture, from those bloody hands
Throw your mistemper’d weapons to the ground.
– William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1. Prince Escalus storms into the play’s first scene, as the ancient feud between the Capulets and Montagues flares up into a violent street brawl. Verona’s authority figure threatens the culprits with violent punishment if they don’t lay down their weapons. He uses a series of metaphors to compare the fighters to beasts who quench the fire of their hate by spilling fountains of blood. In "mistemper’d weapons" we also have an example of personification.