Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ide... more Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ideal friendship, the metaphor of grafting offered one of the most powerful and tenacious figures in the early modern discourse of perfect friendship (amicitia perfecta). Closely akin to the classically-inspired figure of friends as “one soul in two bodies” (Montaigne, “Of Friendship”), this horticultural metaphor signified the absolute fusion of perfect friends, their affinity and like-mindedness, in a discourse that also emphasized the significance of truth and the telling thereof (parrhesia) as a defining characteristic of this ideal form of bonding. However, early modern horticultural manuals expressed an ambivalent set of attitudes about grafting that was viewed, on the one hand, as an opportunity for improvement and perfection but also, on the other hand, as a practice that opened up the possibility of debasement and pollution, with the grafter imposing his potentially destructive power over nature. As this essay suggests, Shakespeare’s use of the metaphor of grafting within the realm of friendship expresses this ambivalence, insistently pointing to the actual fragility of the ideal of amicitia perfecta. In various instances in his plays, the idea of perfect friendship is evoked only to be frustrated by betrayal and falsehood, especially when it is put to the test of socially unequal relationships. Offering numerous examples of friends who function as imperfect grafts and parasitize on the stocks they have been grafted onto, Shakespearean plays thus expose the grafted union of friendship as a possible site of dangerous pollution, violence, and domination.
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN063627 / BLDSC - British Libra... more SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN063627 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
This essay examines the alehouse and alehouse communities as these are represented in the black-l... more This essay examines the alehouse and alehouse communities as these are represented in the black-letter broadside ballad. In particular, concentrating on the texts found under the category ‘Drinking and Good Fellowship’ in the Pepys collection of ballads, this essay sets out to explore how the broadside ballad registers an often ambivalent set of attitudes both towards the practice of communal drinking, as well as towards the element of ‘good fellowship’. Importantly, these texts often celebrate the alehouse as a space of companionship that strengthens male homosocial bonds through the element of communal drinking. The alehouse community may thus be seen to provide an affirmation of the enduring significance of communal values, social stability and cohesion. However, any attempt to affirm or celebrate the element of social stability through communal drinking is often heavily fraught with anxiety about the exact opposites: alienation, fragmentation and social displacement. Adding to t...
Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ide... more Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ideal friendship, the metaphor of grafting offered one of the most powerful and tenacious figures in the early modern discourse of perfect friendship (amicitia perfecta). Closely akin to the classically-inspired figure of friends as “one soul in two bodies” (Montaigne, “Of Friendship”), this horticultural metaphor signified the absolute fusion of perfect friends, their affinity and like-mindedness, in a discourse that also emphasized the significance of truth and the telling thereof (parrhesia) as a defining characteristic of this ideal form of bonding. However, early modern horticultural manuals expressed an ambivalent set of attitudes about grafting that was viewed, on the one hand, as an opportunity for improvement and perfection but also, on the other hand, as a practice that opened up the possibility of debasement and pollution, with the grafter imposing his potentially destructive power over nature. As this essay suggests, Shakespeare’s use of the metaphor of grafting within the realm of friendship expresses this ambivalence, insistently pointing to the actual fragility of the ideal of amicitia perfecta. In various instances in his plays, the idea of perfect friendship is evoked only to be frustrated by betrayal and falsehood, especially when it is put to the test of socially unequal relationships. Offering numerous examples of friends who function as imperfect grafts and parasitize on the stocks they have been grafted onto, Shakespearean plays thus expose the grafted union of friendship as a possible site of dangerous pollution, violence, and domination.
Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ide... more Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ideal friendship, the metaphor of grafting offered one of the most powerful and tenacious figures in the early modern discourse of perfect friendship (amicitia perfecta). Closely akin to the classically-inspired figure of friends as “one soul in two bodies” (Montaigne, “Of Friendship”), this horticultural metaphor signified the absolute fusion of perfect friends, their affinity and like-mindedness, in a discourse that also emphasized the significance of truth and the telling thereof (parrhesia) as a defining characteristic of this ideal form of bonding. However, early modern horticultural manuals expressed an ambivalent set of attitudes about grafting that was viewed, on the one hand, as an opportunity for improvement and perfection but also, on the other hand, as a practice that opened up the possibility of debasement and pollution, with the grafter imposing his potentially destructive power over nature. As this essay suggests, Shakespeare’s use of the metaphor of grafting within the realm of friendship expresses this ambivalence, insistently pointing to the actual fragility of the ideal of amicitia perfecta. In various instances in his plays, the idea of perfect friendship is evoked only to be frustrated by betrayal and falsehood, especially when it is put to the test of socially unequal relationships. Offering numerous examples of friends who function as imperfect grafts and parasitize on the stocks they have been grafted onto, Shakespearean plays thus expose the grafted union of friendship as a possible site of dangerous pollution, violence, and domination.
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN063627 / BLDSC - British Libra... more SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN063627 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
This essay examines the alehouse and alehouse communities as these are represented in the black-l... more This essay examines the alehouse and alehouse communities as these are represented in the black-letter broadside ballad. In particular, concentrating on the texts found under the category ‘Drinking and Good Fellowship’ in the Pepys collection of ballads, this essay sets out to explore how the broadside ballad registers an often ambivalent set of attitudes both towards the practice of communal drinking, as well as towards the element of ‘good fellowship’. Importantly, these texts often celebrate the alehouse as a space of companionship that strengthens male homosocial bonds through the element of communal drinking. The alehouse community may thus be seen to provide an affirmation of the enduring significance of communal values, social stability and cohesion. However, any attempt to affirm or celebrate the element of social stability through communal drinking is often heavily fraught with anxiety about the exact opposites: alienation, fragmentation and social displacement. Adding to t...
Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ide... more Used by such authors as Michel de Montaigne and Etienne de La Boetie in their descriptions of ideal friendship, the metaphor of grafting offered one of the most powerful and tenacious figures in the early modern discourse of perfect friendship (amicitia perfecta). Closely akin to the classically-inspired figure of friends as “one soul in two bodies” (Montaigne, “Of Friendship”), this horticultural metaphor signified the absolute fusion of perfect friends, their affinity and like-mindedness, in a discourse that also emphasized the significance of truth and the telling thereof (parrhesia) as a defining characteristic of this ideal form of bonding. However, early modern horticultural manuals expressed an ambivalent set of attitudes about grafting that was viewed, on the one hand, as an opportunity for improvement and perfection but also, on the other hand, as a practice that opened up the possibility of debasement and pollution, with the grafter imposing his potentially destructive power over nature. As this essay suggests, Shakespeare’s use of the metaphor of grafting within the realm of friendship expresses this ambivalence, insistently pointing to the actual fragility of the ideal of amicitia perfecta. In various instances in his plays, the idea of perfect friendship is evoked only to be frustrated by betrayal and falsehood, especially when it is put to the test of socially unequal relationships. Offering numerous examples of friends who function as imperfect grafts and parasitize on the stocks they have been grafted onto, Shakespearean plays thus expose the grafted union of friendship as a possible site of dangerous pollution, violence, and domination.
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