The Phoenix and the Turtle
Roger Peters Copyright © 2001
The evidence for a consistent and comprehensive philosophy based on
natural logic in the Sonnets, free of traditional philosophical dogma, suggests
Shakespeare arrived at his understanding after profound reflection on his
experiences. It seems that in the period before he began writing his plays
he formulated a view of the world contrary to the received view. He
constructed instead a comprehensive understanding built on what he refers
to in Love�s Labour�s Lost as �common sense�. Because the Sonnet philosophy
is based on natural logic and provides a critique of previous philosophy, it
has to be imagined that Shakespeare�s exceptional intellect allowed him to
supercede the traditional dogmas employed against natural logic.
To demonstrate the gradual development of Shakespeare�s appreciation
of natural logic, this volume has considered the role of the two long poems
Venus and Adonis and Lucrece as early essays specifically intended to express
his understanding. Then, because Love�s Labour�s Lost was a play of his own
invention, its role in further articulating the philosophy was considered. In
each case, the elements basic to the Sonnet philosophy have been found to
be the principal structural features of the works. And in each case the work
exhibits a progressive exploration of the Sonnet elements.
Venus and Adonis argued that sexual division in Nature is logically
dependant on increase and the priority of the female over the male. It
considered the illogicality of idealistic expectations contrary to natural logic.
Lucrece examined the male dynamic in terms of idealistic pride and possessiveness,
and the consequences for the female when the logical role of
increase is subverted by the female�s ignorant servitude and the male�s selfish
pleasure. The extensive monologues and dialogues by male and female that
address the consciousness of guilt and violation bring into greater focus the
logic of truth and beauty.
In Love�s Labour�s Lost the primacy of Nature, the priority of the female
over the male, the logical requirement to increase, the dynamic of truth and
beauty and the logic of the eyes for the process of understanding are all
considered. The status of the Poet, the illogicality of idealised conceits, and
the need for the male to undergo a period of reassessment and adjustment
to become mature enough to entertain the female, are further considerations
that later find their definitive formulation in the Sonnets. The barely
cryptic critique of biblical and Christian dogma also has its counterpart in
the imagery of some of the sonnets.
In the introduction to this volume it was suggested that, after Love�s
Labour�s Lost, Shakespeare decided to use the format of a set of sonnets specifically
to present his philosophy. While every play written after Love�s Labour�s
Lost is based on the Sonnet philosophy, no play again attempts to emulate
the experiment of Love�s Labour�s Lost. The only other work prior to the
publication of the Sonnets that articulates the Sonnet logic and aspects of its
structure is The Phoenix and the Turtle. Published in 1601, it provides a
measure of the progress toward the definitive achievement of the Sonnets.
As marriage is understood by Shakespeare to be a conventional rite that
of itself cannot guarantee the logic of increase, it is significant that The
Phoenix and the Turtle was written as a contribution to a volume published
to celebrate a wedding. It is not surprising that the content of Shakespeare�s
poem advises the loving couple that idealised love is void if it does not
acknowledge the logic of increase and posterity.
This commentary will consider the presence in the poem of other
elements from the Sonnets such as Nature, truth and beauty, and numerological
relationships. And, as in the plays and Sonnets, it will consider the
logical challenge to such traditional practices as �chastity� and �prayer�.
Analysis of The Phoenix and the Turtle
The first five stanzas of The Phoenix and the Turtle introduce the birds who
attend the funeral for the two idealistically deluded love-birds, the Phoenix
and the Turtle-dove. The first bird mentioned is the �bird of loudest lay�.
To understand the role of the �bird of loudest lay� it is only necessary
to recall the logic of the Sonnet philosophy presented in Volume 1. The
division of the sexes and the increase dynamic in Nature form the logical
basis for the dynamic of understanding as truth and beauty in Shakespeare�s
philosophy. Consequently, the logical relationship between the sexual dynamic
of the body and the erotic dynamic of the mind provides the basis for
mythic expression.
It should not surprise, then, that the first line of The Phoenix and the Turtle
brings all these concerns together in a single word. The bird of loudest �lay�
is equally the bird of loudest lyrics or strongest argument, the bird of greatest
rejoicing when its lays its eggs, and the bird that most enjoys a good lay or
sexual encounter.
Let the bird of loudest lay,
On the sole Arabian tree,
Herald sad and trumpet be:
To whose sound chaste wings obey. (1-4)
The �bird of loudest lay� takes its place on the �sole Arabian tree� that was
inhabited by the Phoenix until its pointless death. The �bird of loudest lay�
gives �sad herald� and final �trumpet� to the two birds and any like them who
�obey� the �sound� or call of �chaste wings�.
The first stanza establishes the logical relation between birds that �lay�
and those who are tricked into pointless chastity. Shakespeare begins his
wedding poem by stating the pivotal theme of the increase sonnets, the
priority of increase over selfish �niggarding�. �Chaste wings� are opposed by
the �bird of loudest lay� or the bird that embodies natural logic.
Birds of chaste wing, according to the Sonnet logic, are �fiends� that are
�augurs� of the world�s end because they breach the logic of increase. The
�shrieking harbinger� or �foul precursor� is the bird or entity that harbours
and sanctions the regime of �chastity�. Shakespeare�s consistent critique of
Judeo/Christian dogma as contrary to natural logic identifies the precursor
as �God� or his agents in the church. God, at least, is the precursor of the
Devil or fiend.
But thou shrieking harbinger,
Foul precursor of the fiend,
Augur of the fever�s end,
To this troop come thou not near. (5-8)
Whoever they are, the harbingers are forbidden by �interdict� or decree
to come near �this troop� or those gathering to celebrate the passing of
illogical chastity. Only one representative of such �tyrants� is allowed near.
The Eagle, as the highest-flying bird who is the King of such tyrants, is
permitted under the strict conditions of the obsequy or funeral rite.
From this Session interdict
Every foul of tyrant wing,
Save the Eagle feathered King,
Keep the obsequy so strict. (9-12)
If the �Eagle� represents the Church of God, (and specifically the Church
of Rome as the Eagle was the emblem of ancient Rome), the Church is
specifically represented by the �priest in Surplice white�. The �defunctive�
or now extinct �music� of the Church is represented by the priest in the form
of the swan noted for its capacity to sense the immanence of death. The
Requiem would be lacking �strictness� if God, in the form of his priest, were
not present to witness the last rites for their illogical practices.
Let the Priest in Surplice white,
That defunctive Music can,
Be the death-divining Swan,
Lest the Requiem lack his right. (13-16)
To complement the �bird of loudest lay�, in the company of the representatives
of �foul� chastity, the logical potential for increase is symbolised
by the �treble-dated crow� or bird of longevity who legendarily engenders
its young with its �breath�. Shakespeare uses a bird that exhibits the quality
of understanding argued for in the poem and in his other works. He does
not argue against chastity as a personal choice or for increase as a universal
requirement. Rather his attack is against dogma that prioritises chastity over
increase. The crow�s breath represents the need for consistent understanding
of the natural logic. The crow is welcome amongst the �mourners�.
And thou treble dated Crow,
That thy sable gender mak�st,
With the breath thou giv�st and tak�st,
�Mongst our mourners shall thou go. (17-20)
With the introductions over, the Poet begins the �anthem� or the funerary
oration. If the �obsequy� of the first five stanzas has been interpreted correctly,
the anthem should read as a dirge on excessive idealistic expectations.
...continued in Volume 3, William Shakespeare's Sonnet Philosophy
Back to Top
Roger Peters Copyright © 2001
Introduction
Venus and Adonis
Lucrece
Love's Labour's Lost
The Phoenix and the Turtle
Measure for Measure
Macbeth
A Lover's Complaint
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