Pale Fire and Timon

[andrew at cee.hw.ac.uk]

Jason Drake writes:
> In response to the recent outburst of VN:

> "Like workmen, I'll example you with thievery:
> The sun's a thief, and with his great attraction
> Robs the vast sea; the moon's an arrant thief,
> And her pale fire she snatches from the sun;
> The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves
> The moon into salt tears; the earth's a thief,
> That feeds and breeds by a composture stol'n
> >From gen'ral excrement; each thing's a thief."

> Timon. IV.iii.435-442.

> Pale Fire might allude to some sort of thievery?  I don't know, it
> might be pushing it.

Not much of a push. Kinbote is attempting to steal Shade's limelight
and his thunder.

But note that sun and moon are both thieves. Amongst others Shade
could be seen as stealing from Pope and Gradus as attempting to
`steal' Kinbote's life. What particularly intrigues me is the
circularity of the thievery involved between the sun, moon and sea. Is
Gradus the sea to Kinbote's moon and Shade's sun?  In the end Kinbote
cheats them both since it is Shade who is resolved `into salt tears',
not Kinbote.


Andrew Dinn
-----------
And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.