| Framley Parsonage Chapters 4 to 6 |
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Chapter 4 |
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Ambition is a
great vice "And ambition is a great vice–as Mark Antony told us a long time ago. . ." This is a reference to the Mark Antony of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. In Act 3 Scene 2 Mark Antony gives a speech in which he berates Brutus for being ambitious, which was a trait that Brutus himself had accused Julius Caesar of having. This is of course, not a classical source, but a very English one that hearkens back to ancient Rome. [JC] |
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Chaplain pro
tem
When Mrs. Proudie first meets Mark Robarts, she likes him and thinks that he could make a nice "honorary chaplain pro tem" which means "for a time." Americans will recognize pro tem as the title given to the person in the United States Senate who presides when the president of the Senate is absent. [JC] |
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Chapter 5 |
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Amantium irae amoris integratio- Like the title of Chapter 1, this is also a quote from Terence's Andria. It means, "lovers' quarrels are love's renewal." In Terence's play, the words are spoken by Chremes. Simo comes to Chremes, saying that a quarrel has come between Glycerium and Pamphilus, and Simo is hopeful that it will put an end to their relationship. That is when Chremes cautions that "lovers' quarrels are love's renewal." In this chapter Mrs. Robarts and Lady Lufton have a fight over the behavior of Mark Robarts while he is away. Mrs. Robarts stands up for her husband against the criticism levied against him by Lady Lufton. This act creates a division between them. Later, Lady Lufton comes to see Mrs. Robarts and apologizes to her. In the end their relationship seems no worse for the fight. In a sense their friendship was renewed by the quarrel that arose between them. A translation of Terence's Andria is available at www.Perseus.tufts.edu [TH] |
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Corrupter of youth This was the charge against Socrates, and it is here being used as a descriptor for the Duke of Omnium. It could be said of both of these men that they instructed the many young men around them in a particular school of philosophy. However, while the philosophy of Socrates was one that sought out the truth concerning moral character in opposition to the sophist views circulating at the time, the Duke of Omnium is responsible for drawing prominent youth into a decadent and worldly culture that both advances them politically and bankrupts them morally. This, at least, is the perspective found at Framley Court, and it is this culture that Mark Robarts seeks to ingratiate himself into by the company of Mr. Sowerby in order to advance his own position. [TH] |
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Chapter
6 |
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Mentors
Mentor is a character from Homer's Odyssey, who is a friend of Odysseus and who watches over his house, property, and family on the island of Ithaca while Odysseus is away fighting the Trojan War. Mentor first appears in Book 2 (line 250) of the work, when he delivers a speech which praises Odysseus and which criticizes Penelope's suitors. However, most of the appearances of Mentor depict him as Athena in disguise, usually to give advice to Odysseus' son, Telemachus. This depiction of Mentor seems to agree with the OED's definition of the word '"mentor" as one who gives guidance and assistance to another person, usually to someone who has less experience and is of a younger age. In the Odyssey, Mentor watches over Odysseus' possessions, but his chief duty seems to be that of an advisor; when Athena assumes this role, she gives advice to Telemachus early in the story and then to Odysseus in the last chapters. In Framley Parsonage, Trollope describes elderly individuals around the age of fifty as acting playfully and jocosely, much like young children or carefree adolescents. They are poking fun at Mr. Harold Smith and the speech which he is about to deliver about the South Sea Islanders and their civilization. Trollope says that people in this age group are able to have a good time whenever there aren't any "Mentors" of a younger age (25-30) around to spoil their fun and make them straighten up. It is said that Mark Robarts might have been such an individual, if he hadn't fit in with the older members of the group as well as he did. Trollope's depiction of the mentor-mentored relationship switches the social positions of the people in each role and presents them as being opposite. Instead of older people being in the serious, earnest, role of a mentor, they are described as the ones who are being taught how to behave. The younger clergymen are the ones who are shown as Mentors, being strict and disciplined, and not having any time for fun and games. By switching these positions, Trollope creates a humorous situation; the older generation being quieted by younger individuals allows us to laugh at this ironic, yet improbable, situation. [MD] |
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Born
when Venus was in the ascendant This seems to be an astrological reference to the planet Venus and its position in the sky when Mr. Slope was born. Mrs. Proudie has just told a short tale about Mr. Slope and his pursuit of several different women at the same time (Eleanor Bold, now Eleanor Arabin, and Madeline Stanhope), although they are not mentioned specifically. Mrs. Smith remarks that the planet Venus must have influenced Mr. Slope's birth, since Venus was the Roman goddess of love and this man seems to get himself into quite a few romantic relationships. [MD] |
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Gratis This Latin word means "free" or "for nothing" and has retained the same definition in the English language, even today. [MD] |
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Latin
and Eton Trollope mentions that Mr. Green Walker has given a lecture about leading grammarians in the language of Latin and how their work was studied at Eton, a secondary school in England. At this time period, individuals who were considered to be educated were highly skilled in the classical Greek and Latin languages. Trollope himself was a classical pupil and was very familiar with the studies of Latin at schools like Eton. The fact that Mr. Green Walker gives a speech about this subject shows how well he knew it; since this was the launch of his political career, he would want to start off well by giving a speech on a topic with which he could not fail. [MD] |
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Genius In his speech about the South Sea Islanders, Mr. Harold Smith refers to the godlike spirit of Genius who holds the earth in the palm of its hand. Mr. Smith's use of "genius" connects the ancient Roman understanding of a genius as a presiding, protective spirit and the English understanding of genius as exceptionally inspired talent. Mr. Smith's Genius is wearing "translucent armor," and this may represent the idea that we are unable to see this protective spirit or its actions. [MD & RR] |
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A
pagan sentimentality Mrs. Proudie objects to the "pagan sentimentality" of Mr. Harold Smith's speech, which includes mention of non-Christian gods in the ancient mold. Mrs. Proudie is a devout Christian, not open to other ideas, and she therefore feels the need to interrupt Harold Smith's speech shortly after these above remarks, in order to promote her Christian doctrine. [MD & RR] |
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