“FACING
THE INEVITABLE”
IN THE FATE OF THE CONTINUOS MOVING
HANDS OF THE CLOCK, ONE CANNOT ESCAPE THE INEVITABILITY THAT BEAUTY FADES AND
EVERYONE MUST FACE DEATH
In Professor Flack’s British Literature course, we have
surveyed English Literature works from the Middle Ages, the Sixteenth century,
and the early Seventeenth century. Amongst the assigned material, we have
delved into some of the most influential works and authors of that time period.
From the Middle Ages, Flack inspired us to examine, Beowulf, from the Sixteenth century we reviewed the works of the
great William Shakespeare’s timeless poems and in his play Twelfth Night, and from the early Seventeenth century we examined The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster,
the morality play of Everyman and the
concepts and opinions of various scholarly journalists. During the course of exploring these works, I
have gained a deeper appreciation of the cultural, intellectual, historic and artistic
trends of the period. Within this period of time, we can acknowledge that the
profound authors presented readers that there are common themes within the
works. The common theme that I would like to elaborate on deal with an inevitability
pertaining to . The character in the works have a acknowledgement that in the
fate of time, beauty and death are inevitable.
Of the first major works of the
British Literature we examined is Beowulf.
Beowulf is one of the greatest long
Old English poems. As a class we investigated Beowulf, we learned that there is no definite entity of whom the
author is, and that throughout the course of time, deterioration and fire have
consequently caused a number of words and lines to be lost from the poem. Although words and lines have been missing
from the epic tragedy, we can find from the text that whoever the author is, distinct
themes emerge. For instance, readers of the works can identify themes such as:
good vs. evil, honor, vengeance, glory, greed, and loyalty. In the concept of inevitability
we notice the prudent themes that one’s fate and death play a significant role
in the story of Beowulf.
Beowulf is described as the main protagonist
of the work. He is presented as a hero in which he is extremely loyal and
prideful. Throughout the poem and amongst those characteristics we learn that
Beowulf also displayed and carried an acceptance that there is no avoiding the
fate of death. Beowulf interestingly, not only accepts that everything and
everyone will encounter death, he chooses to not to dwell upon it, but to deal
with it by going out in a blaze of glory.
In the epic elegy, the author
supports this theme of Beowulf’s acceptance directly in a few quotes. The
author of the epic poem presents a series of battles that Beowulf faces. After Beowulf defeated Grendel’s mother in an
exhilarating underwater battle, Beowulf celebrated with his peers. Hrothgar,
being the aged and experienced King that he is, gave advice to Beowulf
reassuring him the essence of time and what fate brings as he proclaims to
Beowulf, “Do not give way to pride. For
a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly...” (1761-2). As
you further read my mdissertation, you will see in other works like Twelfth
Night and Shakespearean Poems how this supports the common idea that in one’s youthfulness,
you bloom with life, beauty and strength. Much like as seasons pass, consequently
we begin to wither away and the fate of age, beauty fades and death comes
whether we like it or not. Being the good role model figure Hrothgar is to
Beowulf, he also explains to Beowulf, “Your piercing eye will dim and darken;
and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away.” (1766-8) The author is
confirming to the theme that no matter how amazing you maybe come, Beowulf is
simply a man. “Much as he wanted to, there was no way / he could preserve his
lord’s life on earth / or alter in the least the Almighty’s will. / What God
judged right would rule what happened / to every man, as it does to this day.”
(2855-9) In the elegy of Beowulf, the
author revisits the poem with moments that start with a funeral and follows
with the praise of death. In Beowulf, the writer portrays a tragic hero who
accepts the fate that no one escapes death - creating a character that chooses
to take on death in a glorious state of mind.
The
negative connotation that beauty ages appears to be one of the easily
recognizable themes in Shakespeare’s works. I’d like to discuss the term aging
beauty and its conflict with the
uncontrollable progression of time - because one can distinctly see how
Shakespeare’s works, both in his poetic sonnets and Twelfth Night, portrayed aging beauty as limited to time. In Sonnet
3, Shakespeare writes, “Calls back the lovely April of her prime” (10) and soon
follows, “Despite of wrinkles, this thy golden time” (12) Shakespeare is
referring to the significance that time your prime of beauty has a limit,
usually found in the “middle of the season of your life” and it’s like he is
saying don’t let it (time) pass you by. It also coincides with Professor Flacks
suggestive idea that we as a class agree that within the Spring and Summer
season months representation of youth, and the Fall and Wintering season months
symbolically represent the comparison diminishing moments of a person’s lifetime.
Similarly Shakespeare’s touches upon the same idea in Twelfth Night as Orsino is conversing with Viola stating, “ For
women are as roses, whose fair flower / Being once displayed , doth fall that
very hour”. (2.4.37-38) Again we see the theme that beauty with time fades.
Also, Shakespeare uses symbolic imagery of nature. In the sonnet, Shakespeare
presents it in the form of April being the prime and in the play a bloomed rose
before it (ages) begins to fall apart. Coinciding with similar works of the time,
figuratively expressing that beauty and its inevitably helped set the mood for
Shakespeare’s works.
With
the issue of aging beauty, we see in both plays women battling a conflict that
they are keen to believe that they are at beauty’s best only momentarily. We
see Olivia complaining about her beauty only lasting a period of time in
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as well
as we see in a conversation with the Old Lady and Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster. In The
Duchess of Malfi, Bosola pokes fun, mean-like of women and women whom lose their beauty due to age when
speaking to the Old Lady, “Here are two of you, whose sin of your youth is the
very patrimony of the physician; … I do wonder you do not loathe yourselves”
(2.1.36-9) The mood is set that Bosola is talking down to women, an old woman
at that, and even goes to call her room to look like a witches lair with all
its “magic” (make ups) to cover or fool people. In Twelfth Night, Olivia is being her own judge when allowing Viola as
Cesario to see her as she mentions, “Look you, sir, such a one I was this
present. Is’t now well done […] ‘Tis is grain (the dye is fast), sir; ‘twill
endure wind and weather.” (1.5.221-224) It is apparent, whether it be Webster
or Shakespeare, women are constantly concerned with their beautiful looks and
how they are consistently battling with the issues of an inevitable battle of
time fading their looks away. The rose (flower) that blooms (in its prime) is
now soon to fade is a common theme that both authors help me realize the mood
and stereotype of women during the time period. After examining both plays, one
can conclude that the authors’ present the reoccurring theme that womens’
conflict with beauty fading. Again we have also witnessed as readers/audience
of both plays that women conflict amongst themselves the fading of their beauty
with age.
Flack
allowed the class to view and study a more straightforward approach that there
is no going around time and that death is a part of all of us as we examined
the work of Everyman. Everyman is a fifteenth
century moralistic play and is “devoted entirely to the day of judgment that
every individual human being must face eventually. “All that liveth appaireth (degenerates)
fast.” (44) Quoted by God in direct detail that coincides with other related
works of the Middle Ages, that basically, in my opinion is plain to see, that
with life comes death. You cannot escape death; death is inevitable. “I am
Death, that no man spareth; / For it is God’s commandment/ That all to me
should be obedient. / O Death, thou
comest when I had thee least in mind. / In thy power it lieth me to save”
(115-120) helping readers to understand the significance of the fate of
mortality. This play on mortality teaches genders/ audience viewers, whom were
probably illiterate, the importance of knowing again that your faith in God
will be questioned. Again, the above lines suggest that you might not expect
it, but it will come, and you might want to repent before it’s too late.
In
conclusion, as we examined in the writings of Beowulf, Shakespeare’s poems and
plays, John Webster’s Duchess of Malfi,
articles written by scholarly journalists, the mortality play of Everyman, that if you are mortal you
must face the fact that you, your beauty, shall age and die. It will come like
the seasons of the year. You may shy from it or you may go out in epic
glorified blaze as portrayed in the elegiac story of Beowulf. “Fate goes ever
as fate must” (455). Mankind knows not what is really in store after death, but
one thing is apparent, fate of aging and dying is inevitable, so be glorious,
and trust in God upon your quest towards it. In support, Frank Ardolino
analyzed John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 10 suggesting,
“(death) comes in may shapes and ways, but Donne wants to show that death is
not the end but only the short passage to an eternal afterlife where death will
not exist” (Death, be not proud p.3).
Critiqued in the selected studies of the Middle, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth
Ages, one cannot control, but must accept the fate that as time progresses,
beauty shall fade and there is no escaping death.
Works
Cited
Ardolino,
Frank. “Death, be not proud.” Masterplots
II: Poetry, Revised Edition January 2002,
p1-3.
Print.
