1. Introduction
The Renaissance was an exciting age. It was a time of exploration and discovery. People were eager for knowledge and keen on unravelling fundamental mysteries that make up their existence: What is Man? Which position does he take in the universe? What is he there for at all? Why is life so short? What is love?
Without generations being so inquisitive and inquiring, human progress would have come to a standstill. Luckily, people increasingly became aware of the fact that they are an integral part of nature’s changing course and controlled by an external force which is far beyond their power: time.
In this essay, the concept of time is of utmost interest. It shall serve as a microscope to examine literary and theoretical writings that deal with such fundamental issues like love, desire and death. Their readings are presented from a fascinating angle where time functions as a metaphor. To this end, three core texts will be explored: William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet and his narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece, and Sigmund Freud’s Mourning and Melancholia. Before we embark upon a ‘metaphorical reading’, I present an interesting framework that will come in useful when we investigate the texts. First, we study the relationship between time and metaphor.
2. Metaphorizing time
Let us imagine an elderly long-bearded man dressed in a robe. He is bald, but he has a forelock of hair. With him, he carries a scythe and an hourglass. Sometimes he is depicted cradling a baby in his arms … This mythical figure is commonly known as Father Time.
This example vividly shows how abstract ideas like that of time lose their obscurity and become more apprehensible by means of personification. However ungraspable the notion of time may be, personifying facilitates the determination of time’s typical features on a non-abstract level.
I must note at this point that, in this essay, I will not draw a distinction between the concepts of personification and metaphor because I regard personification as the ultimate metaphor achievable. When we are able to personify something, the abstract becomes us, like us – and it is the notion of ‘likeness’ upon which both personification and metaphor are based.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Metaphorizing time
3. Turner’s classification scheme of time
4. The workings of time in Romeo and Juliet
5. Time in Lucrece
5. Time in Freud’s Mourning and Melancholia
6. Conclusion
Objectives & Research Themes
This essay explores the conceptualization of time as a metaphor within literary and theoretical texts, specifically investigating how the passage of time serves as a driving force in human experiences of love, desire, and death.
- The metaphorical representation of time in Renaissance literature.
- A comparative analysis of temporal acceleration and deceleration in Shakespearean works.
- The role of time in distinguishing psychological states such as mourning and melancholia.
- The interplay between external temporal constraints and human fate.
- The use of personification as a tool to bridge abstract time and concrete human existence.
Excerpt from the Book
4. The workings of time in Romeo and Juliet
Caught between banishment and an unwelcome choice, the young, isolated lovers feel at enmity with the passage of time. … [T]heir desires are at odds with normal sequence, and they desperately seek to maintain their precarious happiness. But time moves steadily on.
(Quinones 1971: 371)
If you ask someone to name a typical ‘love story’, they will most likely think of Romeo and Juliet. Although there had existed various versions of the novella, it was William Shakespeare who created a masterpiece that not only literally, but also metaphorically ‘transcends time and place’ (Levenson 2000: 1).
However, Romeo and Juliet is far more than the embodiment of young romantic love. It also illustrates very well how the concepts of love, time, and fate are closely linked to and operate with each other. Acting as the three main driving forces in the play, they set the course of the plot and eventually lead to the ‘untimely’ deaths of the protagonists.
Apart from being an extraordinarily ‘speedy’ play, Romeo and Juliet is first and foremost a tragedy of unfortunate timing: ‘The lovers have bad luck. A few minutes at the tomb would have made all the difference’ (Turner 1971: 100).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the Renaissance context and defines the essay's focus on examining literary and psychoanalytic texts through the lens of time as a metaphor.
2. Metaphorizing time: This section discusses the necessity of personifying abstract temporal concepts, using the figure of Father Time to illustrate how metaphors make the intangible graspable.
3. Turner’s classification scheme of time: The author presents a framework of nine temporal aspects suggested by Turner to provide a analytical foundation for the subsequent literary studies.
4. The workings of time in Romeo and Juliet: This chapter analyzes how the tragedy functions through the tension between human desire and fatalistic timing, viewing time as a destructive force.
5. Time in Lucrece: This section explores how Shakespeare uses temporal deceleration and delay to heighten the pained reflection and moral struggle within the narrative poem.
5. Time in Freud’s Mourning and Melancholia: This chapter investigates how time acts as a healing agent in normal mourning, in contrast to its role in the stagnating, destructive condition of melancholia.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings on the contradictory nature of time and raises further questions regarding the relationship between time and the endurance of love.
Keywords
Time, Metaphor, Personification, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, The Rape of Lucrece, Sigmund Freud, Mourning, Melancholia, Fate, Renaissance, Literature, Psychoanalysis, Death, Desire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines the concept of time as a metaphor in specific literary and theoretical works, analyzing how time is constructed and utilized to mirror human emotions and existential conditions.
What primary texts are analyzed in this work?
The study focuses on William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, his narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece, and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic paper Mourning and Melancholia.
What is the central research question?
The essay explores how time functions as a metaphorical tool to examine fundamental issues like love, desire, and death within the chosen texts.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author employs a qualitative "metaphorical reading" of the texts, utilizing Turner’s classification scheme of time as a theoretical framework to analyze the narrative dynamics.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section covers the personification of time, a formal classification of temporal aspects, and detailed comparative readings of how Shakespeare and Freud depict the passage and experience of time.
How can the keywords of this work be defined?
The keywords are centered around the intersection of literary theory, psychoanalysis, and temporal philosophy, highlighting key authors and specific works mentioned in the text.
How does the author distinguish between the "speed" of Romeo and Juliet and the "slowness" of Lucrece?
The author argues that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy of overhasty decisions and unfortunate timing, whereas Lucrece is a poem of extreme slowness and retardation, where time serves as a source of pained reflection.
What role does "time" play in Freud’s analysis of melancholia?
In Freud's analysis, time acts as a destroyer, as the melancholic sufferer psychically prolongs the existence of a lost object, causing the subject to dwell endlessly on the past rather than overcoming it.
- Quote paper
- Steffen Laaß (Author), 2005, Time as metaphor in writings about love, desire and death, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/70530
