Could
you please tell me if there are any differences between the verbs
melt and thaw? I'm thinking about the second scene of
the first act of Hamlet by William Shakespeare:
O,
that this too solid flesh would melt
Thaw,
and resolve itself into a dew!
Roger
Woodham replies:
melt
When
something melts, it changes from a solid to a liquid state,
usually because it is heated:
Melt
50 grams of butter in a saucepan and then add the onions and mushrooms.
The
snow on our grass melted quickly in the warm sunshine.
We
also have the phrasal verbs melt away and melt (away)
into meaning to disappear:
At
first they were enemies, but over time their differences melted
away.
The
shoplifters just melted (away) into the Oxford
Street crowds of Christmas shoppers.
thaw
When
something thaws it warms up slowly and changes gradually
from a frozen state to a temperature above freezing point:
The
snow was thawing and the streets had become slushy.
We
also have the phrasal verb thaw out, which we use when referring
to frozen food or if we have just come inside from very cold weather:
If
I were you, I would take it out of the freezer and leave it to
thaw out overnight.
Let
me just stand by the radiator and thaw out a bit before
I start to cook dinner.
Hamlet,
in the speech you refer to, Keith, is mourning the death of his
father two months earlier and is distraught about his mother's hasty
re-marriage to his father's brother. For this
reason he wishes that his flesh might melt into the dew.
We
still use melt figuratively today when we speak of our feelings
or emotions melting, e.g.:
Once
on stage, his inhibitions melted and he gave a confident
performance.
Antonyms
of melt and thaw would be:
freeze
harden
solidify
stiffen
Study
the examples below to see how these verbs may be used:
If
it's cold enough in January, the lake will freeze (over)
and we can go skating.
His
assets were frozen because he was five hundred thousand
pounds in debt.
This
glue dries very fast and hardens in less than an hour.
His
attitude to the company hardened when he realized that
his shares were worthless.
Pour
the beef dripping into a bowl and when it has solidified
you can spread it on toast.
All
the various factions solidified and promised allegiance
to their leader.
She
was afraid. Her whole body stiffened when she heard him
come through the door.
They
were clearly going to lose, but their resistance stiffened
and they fought harder than before.
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