What is the difference between allegory and metaphor?

Question

What is the difference between allegory and metaphor?

Answer 1

Allegory: Where every aspect of a story is representative, usually symbolic, of something else, usually a larger abstract concept or important historical/geopolitical event.



Lord of the Flies provides a compelling allegory of human nature, illustrating the three sides of the psyche through its sharply-defined main characters.

Metaphor: A direct relationship where one thing or idea substitutes for another.



Shakespeare often uses light as a metaphor for Juliet; Romeo refers to her as the sun, as “a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear,” and as a solitary dove among crows.

Answer 2

An allegory is an extended metaphor.  A metaphor might be just one sentence.  But an allegory is a full story.