Previous
Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Great Floods:
Helen employs paradox and metaphor in her argument to convince the King to let her attempt to cure his illness. Trying cleverly to persuade him, she cajoles:
What I can do can do no hurt to try
Since you set up your rest ’gainst remedy.
He that of greatest works is finisher
Oft does them by the weakest minister.
So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown
When judges have been babes.Great floods have flown
From simple sources, and great seas have dried
When miracles have by the great’st been denied.
Oft expectation fails, and most oft thereWhere most it promises, and oft it hits
Where hope is coldest and despair most shifts.
Helen employs a paradox when she suggests that weak people can accomplish great things with God’s help. This idea that the weakest can be instruments of great works is contrary to common assumptions, and thus presents a paradox. Helen’s words imply that the King’s deteriorating health could be linked to his resignation to his fate. If he decides to get better and stops setting up “his rest against remedy,” she implies, it would help in his recovery.
Additionally, Helen conveys a series of paradoxical ideas comparing natural events to the King’s healing. She mentions “great floods” flowing from “simple sources,” and “great seas” drying up completely, comparing these impossible, epoch-long phenomena to miraculous healing. These vivid descriptions illustrate that just as monumental events can have simple beginnings, remarkable cures can be imagined through unexpected means.
Related Themes:
