Metaphors In Cardinal Wolsey's Speech

Shakespeare uses metaphors, allusions to the bible, and a bitter tone to convey Cardinal Wolsey’s response to his dismissal from the court and the loss of his pride.
Cardinal Wolsey begins the speech by discussing the state of himself when he began his job by using metaphors to describe them. “Tender leaves of hopes” is the figure of speech Shakespeare uses to describe the initial aspiration held by Cardinal Wolsey when starting his job. He then goes on to say “to-morrow blossoms” showing that his job looked secure for the future. He finally uses the phrase “And bears his blushing honors thick upon him” showing the pride and the honor which he held with such a position. The tone of the metaphors then change to say that once his greatness began, it “nips his root” and a “killing frost” began. By continuing the same metaphoric tone of nature, Shakespeare shows that the greatness Cardinal Wolsey once held in his position is suddenly and

unexpectedly dead, along with his hopes and begins his sudden downfall within the court.
    The response to the court made by Cardinal Wolsey uses allusions to the bible when discussing the state of the king after Wolsey’s loss of a position in his court.

“When he falls, he falls like Lucifer.” A direct reference to the bible, Lucifer is the fallen angel of God who then becomes the leader of the underworld. By using such a strong allusion, Shakespeare is trying to send a clear message about Cardinal Wolsey and what will become of the king with the loss of Wolsey’s place in the court. Wolsey seems to be implying that without his help the king will be left “never to hope again”. The use of Lucifer as an allusion for the king can also be taken into some meaning of what has become of Cardinal Wolsey. Similar to himself, Lucifer once has an esteemed position as the right-hand man of God, who was banished from the kingdom to become worthless and unimportant. This can be described as Cardinal Wolsey’s position too, who held an important position in the court only to become worthless to the Courts and also to the

King.
Shakespeare uses a tone of bitterness when Cardinal Wolsey speaks about his removal from the court to demonstrate his loss of pride and his misery. He is bitter about the greatness he has lost with the loss of his position in the courts. “A long farewell to my greatness!” describes the feeling of the loss of his importance he held when having an esteemed position in the Kingdom and the loss of his pride with his dismissal. Wolsey uses the phrase “Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye!” to showcase his bitterness of glory and pride held in the world, with he no longer holds for himself. By using the word vain, Wolsey explains that those feels of pride of oneself is conceited and unimportant. A former feeling he himself once felt, he now sees it as useless.  He no longer has the greatness he had with a spot in the court, but has at once lost his pride and his respect of the court and the king. He uses words like “wretched” and vain” when speaking to expand his feeling of resentful feeling towards the court and the kingdom itself. He uses the phrase, “My high-blown pride at length broke under me, and now has left me.” This again goes to show Wolsey’s loss of importance that he felt and now he is left with nothing but bitterness.
Shakespeare uses these different devices to showcase the character that Cardinal Wolsey has become without his position in the court and to demonstrate the bitterness Wolsey now feels towards the courts and the king.