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Allegory
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Chaucer:
In the opening prologue, the speaker of the prologue alludes to the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer. The Two Noble Kinsmen is an adaptation by Shakespeare and Fletcher of “The Knight’s Tale” in Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, an English poet and writer who worked in the 14th century. The speaker of the prologue, then, acknowledges the original source of the play’s narrative while also acknowledging the difficulty of doing justice to Chaucer’s literary genius:
Chaucer, of all admired, the story gives;
There, constant to eternity, it lives.
If we let fall the nobleness of this,
And the first sound this child hear be a hiss,
How will it shake the bones of that good man […]
This is the fear we bring;
For, to say truth, it were an endless thing
And too ambitious, to aspire to him,
Weak as we are.
First, the speaker of the prologue acknowledges the legacy of Chaucer, who is “of all admired” and whose works have earned him a place in “eternity.” Then, the speaker describes the ambitious task of adapting one of Chaucer’s stories, stating that, should the play fail to match the “nobleness” of The Canterbury Tales, then it might “shake the bones of that good man,” or in other words, cause Chaucer discomfort in the afterlife by calling his legacy into question. Last, the speaker modestly acknowledges that “to aspire to Chaucer” is “too ambitious” a goal, imploring the audience to look sympathetically upon the effort of the theater troupe performing the play.
Act 3, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Like Compelled Bears:
Palamon is outraged when Arcite proclaims his love for Emilia, having been the first to spot her from their window. Attempting to quell his cousin’s anger, Arcite uses a simile that compares Palamon to a captive bear:
Sir,
I have seen you move in such a place which well
Might justify your manhood; you were called
A good knight and a bold. But the whole week’s not fair
If any day it rain; their valiant temper
Men lose when they incline to treachery,
And then they fight like compelled bears—would fly
Were they not tied.
Arcite criticizes his cousin harshly, stating that he is not living up to his reputation as a “good knight” by giving in to his bad temper. Further, he argues that “treachery” makes men lose their sense of reason and honor, leaving them no better than “compelled bears” who fight when not tied down. In this simile, Arcite alludes to a common form of entertainment in early modern London: bear-baiting, a violent sport in which captive bears were forced to fight each other, as well as other animals. In fact, The Globe theater, in which Shakespeare’s plays were performed, was located next to a bear-baiting pit in the south bank of London. Arcite’s simile suggests that Palamon has lost his self-control as a result of his excessive anger and jealousy.
Related Themes:
Act 4, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Gelt for Musicians:
In a state of delirium sparked by heartbreak for Palamon, the Jailer’s Daughter alludes to the castrati, or a class of castrated male singers popular in many parts of early modern Europe. Before a group of concerned friends and family members, the Daughter speaks in a confusing and riddle-like fashion:
There is at least two hundred now with
child by him—there must be four; yet I keep close
for all this, close as a cockle; and all these must be
boys—he has the trick on ’t—and at ten years old
they must be all gelt for musicians and sing the
wars of Theseus.
Here, she describes her beloved Palamon in nonsensical terms, imagining that he has impregnated “at least two hundred” women, all of whom will give birth to boys as he has a “trick” to ensure this outcome. She then states that his hundreds of male children will all be “gelt for musicians” in order to join a chorus that praises Theseus, the Duke of Athens. Here, the Daughter alludes to the common early modern practice of castrating young boys in order to preserve their voices for choirs and choruses. Though the Daughter’s speech here is largely nonsensical, it is nevertheless suggestive, resonating with various themes central to the play, including masculinity, patriotism, and procreation.
Related Themes:
Act 4, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Chaste Diana:
In the Athenian court, a gentleman wakes Emilia after a sleepless night to inform her that the duel between Arcite and Palamon will take place shortly. Emilia, who is unable to decide between the two young men, is distraught that no peaceful resolution is possible. Upset, she alludes to the goddess Diana (Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis):
Would I might end first!
What sins have I committed, chaste Diana,
That my unspotted youth must now be soiled
With blood of princes, and my chastity
Be made the altar where the lives of lovers—
Two greater and two better never yet
Made mothers joy—must be the sacrifice
To my unhappy beauty?
First she states that she wishes she could die first to put an end to this violent conflict between the two noble cousins. Addressing the goddess Diana, she asks why her “unspotted youth” must be “soiled” with the “blood” of the Theban princes. Her choice to allude to Diana here is specific: Diana was, among other things, a virgin goddess who fiercely protected her own virginity and that of her female attendants and worshippers. At this stage in the play, Emilia would rather renounce male company altogether than participate in the bloody spectacle of the duel.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Another Wanton Ganymede:
In Act 4, Theseus orders that Arcite and Palamon, both of whom are unwilling to put a voluntary end to their feud, must fight to the death, with the winner wedding Emilia. In a private moment prior to the fight, Emilia reflects upon her difficult circumstances in a soliloquy. Describing Arcite, she states:
What an eye,
Of what a fiery sparkle and quick sweetness,
Has this young prince! Here Love himself sits smiling;
Just such another wanton Ganymede
Set Jove afire with, and enforced the god
Snatch up the goodly boy and set him by him,
A shining constellation. What a brow,
Of what a spacious majesty, he carries,
Arched like the great-eyed Juno’s but far sweeter,
Smoother than Pelops’ shoulder! Fame and Honor,
Methinks, from hence as from a promontory
Pointed in heaven, should clap their wings and sing
To all the under world the loves and fights
Of gods and such men near ’em.
In her soliloquy, Emilia weighs the respective merits of Arcite and Palamon and wonders who she should root for in the upcoming duel. She first describes Arcite, characterizing him as handsome and kind, and alluding extensively to classical mythology. First, she imagines him as “another wanton Ganymede,” a beautiful young man who was abducted by Zeus to serve as his cup-bearer, pouring his drinks. Next, in describing the “spacious majesty” or Arcite’s eyebrow, she alludes to the goddess Juno, who was associated with eyebrows by many classical poets. Last, she compares Arcite’s shoulder to that of Pelops, a figure in classical mythology whose shoulder was made of ivory, or elephant-tusk. Through these allusions, Emilia compliments Arcite’s physical appearance by comparison to mythological gods and heroes.
