Conversation Piece - Monday, December 8, 2008
"Oh, come not near me, sir; I shall defile you.
I am that of your blood was taken from you
For your better health. Look no more upon't
But cast it to the ground regardlessly;
Let the common sewer take it from distinction.
Beneath the stars, upon yon meteor
Ever hung my fate, 'mongst things corruptible;
I ne'er could pluck it from him. My loathing
Was prophet to the rest, bu ne'er believed;
Mine honor fell with him, and now my life."
(The Changeling V.iii.158-67)
I am that of your blood was taken from you
For your better health. Look no more upon't
But cast it to the ground regardlessly;
Let the common sewer take it from distinction.
Beneath the stars, upon yon meteor
Ever hung my fate, 'mongst things corruptible;
I ne'er could pluck it from him. My loathing
Was prophet to the rest, bu ne'er believed;
Mine honor fell with him, and now my life."
(The Changeling V.iii.158-67)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Get a grip, Edward.
Marlowe’s use of “looseness” to describe King Edward can be seen as a metaphor for his grip on the country. As Edward neglects his royal duties, his grasp as a sovereign ruler slips. “Looseness” can be characterized as Edward’s total apathy towards the state of his nation. Typically, a good ruler or king is one who controls his nation with an “iron fist.” Edward’s lack of conviction in executive decisions is evident by his allowance of disrespectful tongues in his court. This reading of “looseness” is most paralleled with the second usage by the Queen in 4.4. When Kent first mentions looseness in 4.1, he not only means the aforementioned definition but also Edward’s general care for the Queen’s well-being. With some finality, it seems apparent that Edward’s “looseness” will continue to be his downfall.
