Dr. R. Levin
ENL 10A
13 Oct 2009
“Light of Hidden Fire”: Love and Change in Marlowe’s Hero and Leander
Home when he came, he seemed not to be there,
But like exilѐd air thrust from his sphere,
Set in a foreign place, and straight from thence,
Alcides-like, by mighty violence
He would have chased away the swelling main (605)
That him from her unjustly did detain.
Like as the sun in a diameter
Fires and inflames objects removѐd far,
And heateth kindly, shining lat’rally,
So beauty sweetly quickens when ‘tis nigh, (610)
But being separated and removed,
Burns where it cherished, murders where it loved.
Therefore, even as an index to a book,
So to his mind was young Leander’s look.
O none but gods have power their love to hide: (615)
Affection by the count’nance is descried.
The light of hidden fire itself discovers,
And love that is concealed betrays poor lovers.
(Page 1017)
Words Defined:
Sphere (line 602): A sphere is enclosed: it is a bubble, protective, perfect in its shape and circumference. Leander, having a beautiful outward appearance would take his beauty with him where he went. The OED defines sphere as “the apparent outward limit of space” which does not imply an end so the limits are apparent, but not definite. In using the word sphere, Marlowe is endowing Leander with seemingly limitless potential to love, as Leander—it is clear—is a lover. The OED also lists sphere as “a province or domain in which one’s activities or faculties find scope or exercise”: a sphere has unlimited potential within contained boundaries that are perfectly constructed. Leander’s sphere is expanding to include Hero and as he gains experience his sphere will come to include his maturation in his role as a lover. Leander was an individual, a lover without his beloved, until Hero was thrust into his sphere allowing him to pursue his full potential. The rest of the line “like exilѐd air thrust” implies this change in his sphere; the change is welcome and will expand his bubble expanding the limits of Leander’s potential.
Foreign (line 603): This word is in the line following sphere which only emphasizes the unification of two worlds. The OED defines foreign in one way as “proceeding from other persons or things” but also as “out of doors; outside.” Here’s sphere was foreign to Leander’s because she is outside of him, but the changes that are taking place in Leander’s sphere are a direct result of his meeting Hero. Hero is the trigger of foreign changes in the sphere: she precedes the emotions and desires that he is now facing from outside of his own sphere. It might also be cupid, whose golden arrows so effectively pricked both lovers, who is the outside force, while Hero is the one that proceeds. Both interpretations seem equally as valid; each introduces a foreign emotion to Leander, changing the balance within his sphere.
Swelling (line 605): Swelling is an interesting word because it has several meanings in this context. It is referring to a “swelling main” in this line; main, according to the OED is a form of “power.” Swelling, according to the OED, is “the rising of emotion” but it is also “an abnormal or morbid enlargement in or upon any part or member.” Swelling refers to the new growing emotions of Leander, but also has sexual connotations as he learns to manage his sexual desire that is enflamed by his sexual arousal. The power to which swelling refers could be either his sexual power to manipulate Hero into loving him or to his power as a lover that is growing with each experience he has.
Diameter (line 607): In using diameter here, Marlowe is reminding us of the sphere around Leander, but also using it to show opposition. According to the OED one interesting definition of diameter is “the diametrical or direct opposite; contrariety, contradiction.” This is especially enlightening as it immediately conjures up images of the opposite of the sun: the moon, the night, the darkness; all of these are realms of the lovers but also imply a darker side to their love. The sun in this passage is described as a “kindly” head, and the opposition to that would be a precarious place for lovers. In the first definition, the one which the modern reader is probably more familiar, the imagery of the sun as a circle in the sky and the diameter is the measurement across the circle. The second definition is far more enlightening: it draws opposition to a number of things in the poem such as the dark foreboding that is hinted at throughout the poem, but also as an opposition to beauty as stated in line 610 when Marlow writes “So beauty sweetly quicken when ‘tis nigh” taking the reader from the heat of the sun to the sweet comfort of beauty of a lover.
Affection (line 616): Affection is, according to the OED,“feeling (as opposed to reason)…a powerful or controlling emotion, as passion, lust” but it is also described as a physical “state, condition, or relation which is temporary or not essential to the object.” Affection has some ominous undertones implying the potential for unhappiness in the union of these two lovers. Affection is counter to reason and logic, limiting the rational decisions that man should make in situations involving love. It is also a physical state of discomfort, on that is temporary, even fleeting and the reader wonders if the love Leander feels is also temporary, one only driven by his physical desires. Leander might love Hero, feel affection for her in the most literal sense, but the other implication is that love is a temporary, physical ailment that will subside in time.
Stylistic Devices:
Simile (line 602): Marlowe compares directly Leander to “exilѐd air” and in doing so gives the reader an interesting juxtaposition to ponder. One wonders if air, an unseen, uncontrollable (at least during Marlowe’s time) substance can be truly “exilѐd” from anywhere, including the sphere that Marlowe claims. He may instead be referring to the force with which air can have as it escapes from an enclosure, or the force of the wind; in this context air can have a power to set one off-balance, and destroy objects. Further, the air is “thrust” from the sphere into exile which is a violent image, adding to the violence of the simile and giving depth to the invocation of the Herculean allusion that is presented in line 604.
Allusion (line 604): In line 604 Marlowe makes an allusion to Hercules in an indirect way by describing the exiled air as “Alcides-like.” In crafting the image of the exiled air, by using this direct comparison of Hercules to show the force of the exile it gives strength to the image and to the following description of “mighty violence.” Hercules is a masculine figure of power and strength, which is in contrast to how Leander is portrayed earlier in the poem being outwardly the lover who is confused as a woman. In giving Leander these power Herculean feelings, Marlowe attributes a masculinity to him that is both sexual, emotional and physical. By drawing this comparison the reader is privy to Leander’s change from boy to man.
Alliteration (line 608): Line 608, “Fires and inflames objects removѐd far” is beautiful because the sounds of the “f” in the words “fires,” “inflames,” and “far” sounds like a burning fire when the words are said out loud. This emphasizes the sensation of the “heateth kindly” in the next line for the reader. The sound of the alliterative “f” throughout the line adds a soundtrack to the image of a comfortable fire that burns to heat those around it. In using these sounds to add emphasis to the imagery of the hot sun and the sweet beauty, Marlowe is allowing the reader into the world of Leander’s love for Hero, showing the beautiful characteristics of it, despite some of the ominous signs were are seeing in other places throughout the poem.
Imagery (line 613): The image that is presented to the reader by the comparison of Leander’s mind to that of a book’s index is one particularly interesting and confusing. I have decided to call this short sentence “imagery” because I believe that Marlowe’s purpose was to draw a visual comparison between the index and the mind, however he does not seem to make a full commitment to the use of the simile. Instead he uses the words “even as” to introduce his index and in the next line turns Leander’s look inward to his mind. The image being presented is of an index to a book—a useful tool in locating information within the pages of a book—compared with Leander’s “look” into his mind. By using the index of the book Marlowe implies that the information that Leander seeks, perhaps moral guidance or romantic inspirations, will be found within his mind if he only searches what he already knows. Leander knows how to be a lover and will be successful in his wooing of Hero but only if he turns his questions inward and looks for those things he already knows and uses them to his advantage.
Personification (line 618): Love in line 618 is personified and done in such a way to impose an ominous foreshadowing on the love of Leander and Hero. Love is something that if concealed will betray those who conceal it. Betrayal, especially in terms of love, is significant because it undermines the trust that must develop between lovers and if love betrays the lovers then the lovers are left without their bonds.
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