In Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey’s demise reveals the ubiquity within loss, and the levels emotional response that is inevitably natural, as well as the unavoidable intrinsic questions regarding identity. As the king’s former advisor, Wolsey associated his sense of self with his title, which fueled his pride and dignity. His removal of power leaves Wolsey at odds with himself, where his voice of authority can no longer provide comfort. Shakespeare captures the necessity of internal confrontation by means of metaphorical comparisons and repeatedly shifts to a poetic tongue to emphasize intrinsic considerations that Wolsey faces. Inevitably, Wolsey questions the existential and reaches an ephemeral clarity through a shift in perspective. …show more content…
In a controlled anger, Wolsey says, “farewell - to the little good you bear me,” which is in direct consideration of the King who has wronged him. Wolsey explicitly blames “you,” the King, for his suffering. Wolsey repeats “farewell,” only he has moved on from the King as the subject of his suffering. The rhetoric behind “farewell?” questions “my greatness” and is thus addressed to himself. The “good you bear” and “my greatness” are verbally ironic, which is felt by Wolsey as his sense of discomfort and frustration grows. Though the second “farewell” carries a desperate tone, his thoughts remain structured as he is blindly referring to the general state of man rather than his own self. The “state of man” refers to the idealized man that Wolsey aspires to embody, whose journey is beautifully drastic with a “splash[ing]” end. Authentic emotion does not permeate as the “state of man” and Wolsey’s own disposition becomes more disparate. “My greatness” and “state of man” in the same sentence reveal that Wolsey’s idea of himself is tied to the standard of a man. The general “state of man” thrives in the Eden of society, where “hope … blossoms… and blushes” until a “killing frost… nips at his root.” Wolsey cannot simply process his downfall as it happened because his identity is detached. Helplessly, it is only through a conceptualized “man” that Wolsey is able to consider his own tragedy. Convinced that the “man” and himself are analogous, Wolsey shifts to “I” as opposed to “he.” The idealized standard of man fits the natural metaphor of blossoming plants, but Wolsey’s position is far from the organic, as it is fueled by a lack of identity rather than cunning deception on the King’s behalf. Shakespeare effectively compares Wolsey’s journey to the natural process of growth to elevate Wolsey’s own need for self-identity, which can only be attained through
William Shakespeare is a renowned writer for his effectiveness in writing, which is hailed from crafting his pieces with various types of literary devices. Cardinal Wolsey's soliloquy after being fired in Shakespeare's Henry VIII is no different. Shakespeare uses allusion, figurative language, and a shifting tone to hone in the complex and passionate set of emotions Wolsey felt.
Peter Gwyn also takes a historical perspective of Wolsey in his book, The King’s Cardinal. Unlike Cavendish, who heavily favored factions and the Boleyns as the makers of Wolsey’s demise, Gwyn does not put any merit in the idea that factions brought about Wolsey’s fall. He does not act like there were not tensions between Wolsey and the nobility, but from his perspective, “both as lord chancellor and as a leading royal councillor, he was bound to have to do things that would not be popular with them” (p 114). This is supposed to further his claim that Wolsey was solely following orders, because he was bound to do things by Henry. Gwyn’s account of Wolsey centers around the king and the claim that Henry used Wolsey’s fall from grace as a political statement, and that Henry was always in control of Wolsey’s actions. Also unlike Cavendish, who aimed to show Wolsey as a dedicated servant to both the king and the Church, Gwyn tries to show Wolsey as he was in all aspects, both good and bad, as a Cardinal, an advisor to the king, and a force to reckon with in terms of foreign relations. ...
...eth to sustain great wrong.” In his first defense, Cavendish claims Wolsey was the victim of ill will. In this second defense, Wolsey’s faith is supposed to be his saving grace, and explains away his dealings with the Pope by claiming a conflict of faith. He couldn’t please everyone, and if he supported the King against Katharine, he would potentially be angering the Pope and God. On the other hand, going against the King would in fact prove to be fatal. In failing to secure the divorce Henry wanted, Wolsey was left open to attack by those Cavendish previously blamed for his downfall. While there was not much more Wolsey could have done in regards to securing the divorce, he is still not to be pitied in this situation. Had he not taken advantage of his position for years prior to this situation, he wouldn’t have had so far to fall or had so much to lose when he did.
Henry IV is a play that concerns itself with political power and kingship in English history. References to kingship are prevalent throughout the play, especially in the depiction of the characters. Although most of the characters in this play could teach us about kingship, I would like to focus my attention to Prince Henry. I think that this character helps us to best understand what kingship meant at this particular time in history.
The characters of The Sun Also Rises have difficulty coping with the changing world just as the Hollow Men cannot deal with change in the situation they face. The narrator of The Hollow Men end the poem on a depressing note, “This is the way the world ends not with a bang but a whimper” (840 THM). Through his description of the world’s end with a whimper, the narrator presents a metaphor for his life which he feels is insignificant. With this he shows his thought of inability to face his issue, showing a feeling of incompetence which is very much how the characters of The Sun Also Rises feel. For instance, Jake has an encounter with a waiter in France, but finds a simple solution, “Everything is on such a clear financial basis in France. It is the simplest country to live in. No one makes things complicated by becoming your friend for any obscure reason. If you want people to like you you have only to spend a little money” (237 SAR). Here, Ja...
Wadsworth, Frank W. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Online American Edition. Online Edition. Online. Netzero. 26 Mar 2002.
The past persists in disclosing the forgotten injustices suffered in sacrifice for the preceding generations. In doing so, the grief and mourning in the present invades the soul following the physical evidence of torment undiluted with time. In “Between the World and Me”, Richard Wright identifies the universal truth that in order to truly understand another person's suffering, one must move from mere sympathy to empathy with the sufferer through numerous literary intentions.
In the poem “Wreck of the Hesperus”, the author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, uses several examples of personification, simile, and irony to convey the message that people’s overconfidence uncontrollably leads to their downfall, and the destruction of pure objects in their life that the person loves.
Shakespeare, William, Stephen Greenblatt, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Andrew Gurr. The Norton Shakespeare. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1997. Print.
Shakespeare uses metaphors, allusions to the bible, and a bitter tone to convey Cardinal Wolsey’s response to his dismissal from the court and the loss of his pride.
In the play Henry VIII by Shakespeare, Cardinal Wolsey is facing a great hardship: he just lost his position as advisor to the king. To hi, this position meant a great deal and now he does not know what else life has in store. He has lost the one thing that made him truly happy. Shakespeare uses these elements and a dismal tone to convey to the reader the intense shame and embarrassment that Wolsey feels.
Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme of the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play. Through characterization Shakespeare explores moral conflict, and passage three is a prime example of Falstaff’s enduring moral disorder. By this stage in the play Hal has ‘reformed’, moved away from his former mentor Falstaff and become a good and honourable prince.
Shakespeare’s Henry’s most remarkable and heroic quality is his resolve; once Henry has his mind set on accomplishing something he uses every tool at his disposal to see that it is achieved. ‘If we may pass, we will; if we be hinder’d we shall your tawny ground with your red blood discolour’ Henry meticulously presents himself as an unstoppable force to which his enemies must choose to react; although his methods are morally questionable they a...
Although William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most revered and well-renowned authors of all time, controversy surrounds the belief that he actually produced his own literary works. Some rumors even go so far as to question the reality of such a one, William Shakespeare, brought on by paralleling the quality of his pieces with his personal background and education. With such farfetched allegations, it persuaded others to peek into the person we all are taught to learn as “Shakespeare”, but who is actually the person behind these genius works of literary promise and enlightenment? To some, Shakespeare is as much accredited to his works as frequently as you see his name placed. To others, Shakespeare is a complex enigma into which we the people are supposed to unravel; the true author behind a falsely-given pseudonym. The debate pertaining to the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works are still questioned in today’s society.
In Hamlet’s speech, Shakespeare’s efforts to target his Elizabethan audience develop the theme of the frailty of man. Shakespeare conveys this underlying theme of the play by subt...