In Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, a character, Cardinal Wolsey, is suddenly dismissed from his position as advisor to the king. Shakespeare uses figurative language such as metaphors, as well as syntax, allusions, and varying tone to convey Cardinal Wolsey’s reaction to the dismissal. These elements serve to expose the Cardinal’s deep emotions and show how much the event affects him..
The syntax changes from the beginning of the soliloquy to the end, just as Cardinal Wolsey’s emotions change. At first, the syntax is very broken up and varied; the first line states “so farewell- to the little good you bear me”. In the next line Wolsey asks “farewell? a long farewell to all my greatness!”. However, by the end of the poem the syntax is much less broken up, and is more typical of Shakespearian writing. This parallels with Wolsey’s emotions. At first, he reacts to the situation with anger, and blames everyone else. Anger is a quick and rash emotion in which the impulses take over the body, and the false, almost impulsive syntax reflects this. He does not see why he was fired and his emotions are all over the place, just as the syntax is. However, by the end of the poem Wolsey comes to slowly terms with his situation and feels regret, a much more drawn out and “slow” emotion, and as a result, the sentences become longer, which leads to much slower reading.
Furthermore, Shakespeare uses a metaphor to compare Wolsey to a flower, which demonstrates how vulnerable and genuinely good Wolsey is. Shakespeare says that man “puts out leaves of hope”. These leaves of hope are representative of a person in the workforce; each hopes to achieve great things and have a long, successful career. However, soon, a “killing frost” comes and “nips the root” of a “good easy man”. The frost is the person in power who can take an subordinate’s job without warning or reason. The flower has no control of when this frost kills it, just as Wolsey had no control over when he loses his job. This...