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Similes
Definition of Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost thoughts and feelings as if... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself, relating his or her innermost... read full definition
A soliloquy is a literary device, most often found in dramas, in which a character speaks to him or herself... read full definition
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—'Tis a Principle:
In a soliloquy, Beatrice, who has fallen madly in love with Alsemero, praises him for his choice in friends:
BEATRICE : How wise is Alsemero in his friend!
It is a sign he makes his choice with judgement.
Then I appear in nothing more approved,
Than making choice of him;
For ’tis a principle, he that can choose
That bosom well, who of his thoughts partakes,
Proves most discreet in every choice he makes.
Methinks I love now with the eyes of judgement,
And see the way to merit, clearly see it.
A true deserver like a diamond sparkles,
In darkness you may see him, that’s in absence,
Which is the greatest darkness falls on love.
Earlier, she met Alsemero’s friend Jasperino, who impresses her with his sympathetic and helpful nature. Jasperino’s good qualities, she feels, reflect positively on Alsemero, who is “wise” to befriend such a man. Beatrice’s soliloquy highlights her irrational affection for Alsemero, who she praises in an exaggerated fashion. Her logic here is somewhat faulty; in a conspicuous fallacy, she declares it a “principle” that a man who exercises good or “discreet” judgment in his choice of friends must be similarly wise “in every choice he makes.” However, she is absolutely confident in her assumptions, arguing that she “clearly” sees him, without bias.
Act 4, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Like Malefactors:
Despite the great effort that Beatrice has taken to marry Alsemero, including ordering the assassination of Alonzo, to whom she was betrothed, Beatrice expresses her anxieties in a soliloquy prior to her wedding night:
BEATRICE : This fellow has undone me endlessly,
Never was bride so fearfully distressed;
The more I think upon th’ensuing night,
And whom I am to cope with in embraces,
One that’s ennobled both in blood and mind,
So clear in understanding, – that’s my plague now, –
Before whose judgement will my fault appear
Like malefactors’ crimes before tribunals;
There is no hiding on’t, the more I dive
Into my own distress; how a wise man
Stands for a great calamity!
There’s no venturing
Into his bed, what course soe’er I light upon,
Without my shame, which may grow up to danger.
Reflecting on recent events, Beatrice suggests that De Flores, who took her virginity in exchange for the murder of Alonzo, has “undone” her “endlessly.” Her language here is layered, referring to both the “undoing” or her status as a virgin, and also the “undoing” of her entire life. In this soliloquy, Beatrice registers her fear that Alsemero, who is “ennobled both in blood and mind” and similarly “clear in understanding,” will be able to discern that she is not a virgin on their wedding night. Further, she argues in a simile that her “fault" will be plainly evident, “Like malefactors’ crimes before tribunals.” This simile suggests that Beatrice feels that she is going on trial, and that her beloved Alsemero will be the judge who decides her fate.
Act 5, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—All Men Villains:
In a soliloquy, Tomazo reflects upon the disappearance and presumed murder of his brother Alonzo:
TOMAZO : I cannot taste the benefits of life
With the same relish I was wont to do.
Man I grow weary of, and hold his fellowship
A treacherous bloody friendship; and because
I am ignorant in whom my wrath should settle,
I must think all men villains, and the next
I meet (whoe’er he be) the murderer
Of my most worthy brother.
Thinking aloud, Tomazo notes that his entire worldview has changed following his brother’s apparent death. He cannot, he claims, “taste the benefits of life” with the “same relish” or enjoyment that he once did, as he has grown “weary” of his fellow man. Because he doesn’t know who murdered his brother, he suspects everyone equally, considering “all men villains” and therefore eschewing “friendship” with others. In this soliloquy, Tomazo emphasizes the extent to which his feelings of depression have alienated him from others, leaving him unable to seek support or sympathy from his own friends. Any man he meets, he claims, he suspects to be “the murderer” of his “most worthy brother.” In a play full of scheming and duplicitous characters, Tomazo’s love for his brother stands out as one of the few genuine instances of genuine care.
