"I should be a miserable bungler, indeed, if I could not, after having brought the affair thus far, tear a son from the heart of a father, even though he were rivitted to it with iron bands"
— Render, William (fl. 1790-1801); Schiller (1759-1805)
Work Title
Place of Publication
Cambridge
Publisher
Printed by C. Whittingham [etc.]
Date
1799
Metaphor
"I should be a miserable bungler, indeed, if I could not, after having brought the affair thus far, tear a son from the heart of a father, even though he were rivitted to it with iron bands"
Metaphor in Context
FRANCIS.
[Follows him with looks of mockery.]
Be comforted, old dotard!--You never will press him more to thy bosom! The way to it is barred against him.--You are separated, as heaven is from hell. He was torn from thy arms, before thou knewest it was possible thou ever couldst have desired it.--I must, however, gather up these scraps of paper. How easily might my hand-writing be known?
[He gathers up all the scraps of the letter which he had torn.]
I should be a miserable bungler, indeed, if I could not, after having brought the affair thus far, tear a son from the heart of a father, even though he were rivitted to it with iron bands.--Courage, Francis! The darling is gone! A giant step towards the goal!--And from her heart too I must eradicate this Charles, even should the heart follow.
[Walking backwards and forwards hastily.]
[1] I have a great right to quarrel with nature, and by my honour I will make her my debtor. Why burden me with this mass of deformity? Why so rigidly bestow it upon me alone?
[Stamping upon the ground.]
Death and destruction! why on me alone? No otherwise than if she had put a stop to the formation of men at my birth!-- She conspired against me in the very hour of my conception. Well, then! thus do I now conspire against her for ever.--I will destroy her most beautiful works, as I cannot claim any relationship to them.--I will tear asunder the union of souls, since I am excluded from it. She has denied to me the delightful play of the heart, the all-persuasive eloquence of love.-- Thus then will I extort my wishes with despotic violence; thus will I extirpate all those who set a restraint upon me, since I am not lord.
[Follows him with looks of mockery.]
Be comforted, old dotard!--You never will press him more to thy bosom! The way to it is barred against him.--You are separated, as heaven is from hell. He was torn from thy arms, before thou knewest it was possible thou ever couldst have desired it.--I must, however, gather up these scraps of paper. How easily might my hand-writing be known?
[He gathers up all the scraps of the letter which he had torn.]
I should be a miserable bungler, indeed, if I could not, after having brought the affair thus far, tear a son from the heart of a father, even though he were rivitted to it with iron bands.--Courage, Francis! The darling is gone! A giant step towards the goal!--And from her heart too I must eradicate this Charles, even should the heart follow.
[Walking backwards and forwards hastily.]
[1] I have a great right to quarrel with nature, and by my honour I will make her my debtor. Why burden me with this mass of deformity? Why so rigidly bestow it upon me alone?
[Stamping upon the ground.]
Death and destruction! why on me alone? No otherwise than if she had put a stop to the formation of men at my birth!-- She conspired against me in the very hour of my conception. Well, then! thus do I now conspire against her for ever.--I will destroy her most beautiful works, as I cannot claim any relationship to them.--I will tear asunder the union of souls, since I am excluded from it. She has denied to me the delightful play of the heart, the all-persuasive eloquence of love.-- Thus then will I extort my wishes with despotic violence; thus will I extirpate all those who set a restraint upon me, since I am not lord.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "heart" and "iron" in HDIS (Drama)
Date of Entry
06/08/2005
