Wolsey’s Farewell to His Greatness by William Shakespeare

Before the speech, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, and Lord Chamberlain have been speaking about Wolsey’s fall from grace (or fall from the king’s favor) and what they will do about it. They think that maybe they can team up against him. They use a letter Wolsey wrote to the Pope as evidence of his treasonous activity. He wants the Pope to refuse the king’s divorce from Katherine.

Wolsey's Farewell to His Greatness
William Shakespeare

Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!This is the state of man: to-day he puts forthThe tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms,And bears his blushing honours thick upon him:The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,And,—when he thinks, good easy man, full surelyHis greatness is a-ripening,—nips his root,And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,This many summers in a sea of glory,But far beyond my depth: my high-blown prideAt length broke under me, and now has left meWeary, and old with service, to the mercyOf a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:I feel my heart new opened. O, how wretchedIs that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours!There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,More pangs and fears than wars or women have;And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,Never to hope again.

Summary

‘Wolsey’s Farewell to His Greatness’ by William Shakespeare is a short, passionate excerpt about one man’s fall from greatness. 

These lines are Wolsey’s reaction to realizing that his career is over and never will he recover in the eyes of the King. He knows that his pride and greed have taken him too far into the deep water, so deep that he can no longer survive. He also compares himself and other men to a plant that grows, blooms, and is then murdered by the frost. 

Structure and Form 

‘Wolsey’s Farewell to His Greatness’ by William Shakespeare is a twenty-two-line excerpt from the famous Shakespeare play Henry VIII. The lines are part of Act III Scene 2. The lines are written in blank verse, also known as unrhymed iambic pentameter, the normal meter used in Shakespeare’s plays. There is no specific rhyme scheme at work, seen through the very different end sounds like “greatness,” “forth,” “blossoms,” and “him” in the first few lines. 

Literary Devices 

In this poem, the poet uses a few literary devices. These include: 

• Repetition: seen when the poet repeats the same literary device. For example, the word “Farewell” in line one and “falls” in the last line of the excerpt. 
• Extended Metaphor: William Shakespeare is very well-known for his use of extended metaphors, or prolonged metaphors that stretch over numerous lines. For example, Wolsey’s comparison of his career to a plant’s life. 
• Caesura: an intentional pause in the middle of a line of verse. For example, “And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured.” 
• Simile: a comparison between two things that uses “like” or “as.” For example, “I have ventured, / Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders.”

Detailed Analysis 

Lines 1-10

Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!
This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him:
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And,—when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a-ripening,—nips his root,
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured,
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders,
This many summers in a sea of glory,

In the first lines of this excerpt, the poet’s speaker, Wolsey, speaks the words “Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!” He’s addressing the audience after all the other characters on stage have departed, making this a great example of a monologue. 

He says goodbye to his life or at least the way people think about him now. Wolsey mourns his life, his career, and his legacy in these lines. He compares his life (and the lives of all men) to the way a plant grows, flowers, and is then destroyed by frost. He’s currently experiencing the final stage when the “killing frost” comes. These lines are what is known as an extended metaphor. 

Wolsey goes on, saying that it’s often the case, as it was with him, that men fall at the exact moment they believed their career was flourishing. He’s foolishly gone swimming in a metaphorical sea of glory, he adds. He’s done this for many summers. 

Lines 11-17

But far beyond my depth: my high-blown pride
At length broke under me, and now has left me
Weary, and old with service, to the mercy
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me.
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye:
I feel my heart new opened. O, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours!

Wolsey realizes now that he was a boy swimming out in a dangerous sea and that he’s gone way too far. He’s out of his depth and is now doomed to deal with the consequences. He was far too prideful, he adds, saying that it got too large and is now broken. He feels changed now, he says. He’s seeing the world in a new light with a newly opened heart, knowing that he won’t rise any further and no longer has to be concerned with the courtly games the characters in the play engage in. 

He uses the line “how wretched / Is that poor man that hangs on princes’ favours!” This, in simple terms, expresses Wolsey’s newfound belief that it is foolish to depend on a king’s kindness and mercy to advance oneself. 

Lines 18-22

There is, betwixt that smile we would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have;
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.

In the final five lines, he says that a King’s hard-fought-for smile is way more difficult to achieve and involves far more suffering than a woman’s smile or even a war. Wolsey concludes his monologue by saying that the current state he’s in has resulted in the feeling that he can “Never…hope again.” He knows that he’s fallen like Lucifer falling from Heaven, with Henry VIII playing the role of God. 

FAQs 

Similar Poetry 

Readers who enjoyed this poem should also consider reading some other William Shakespeare poems. For example: 

• ‘A Fairy Song’ – a short song that’s sung by a fairy and describes their work from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
• ‘Double, Double Toil and Trouble from Macbeth‘ – appears in the tragedy of ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare. It is one of the “Song of the Witches” that appears in Act 4, Scene 1 of the play.
• ‘All the world’s a stage‘ – a well-known monologue found in William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It.’