This extract from Shakespeare's Henry VIII describes Cardinal Wolsey's reaction to his sudden dismissal from his position as king's advisor. On a deeper level, this monologue shows Wolsey's complex, unfiltered emotions as he thinks out loud, revealing a change in the way he views the monarchical system. Indicated by figurative language, allusions, and shifts in tone, Cardinal Wolsey undergoes a complex process of self-reflection as he assesses the nature of his downfall due to his tragic flaw and reveals the injustice of the monarchy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay Wolsey's metaphors and bitter but remorseful tone show the confusing nature of his emotions, revealing the great immediate psychological impact of his dismissal. As Wolsey begins to understand what has just happened to him, his repetition of the word "farewell" (1/2) represents his initial shock and bewilderment. In an attempt to comfort himself, he bitterly bids “farewell” to his position (1), falsely convincing himself that his position does him “little good” (1). However, his pathetic self-consolation is short-lived as he soon recognizes the reality that he is saying "a long farewell to all [his] greatness" (2), which he may never be able to achieve again. He expresses this feeling by viciously describing “the state of man” (3) by comparing himself to a flower. At first, he “advances/the tender leaves of hopes” (3-4), approaching his profession with optimism and the potential for eminence. Then he “flourishes / and bears upon himself his blushing honors” (4-5), representing his many subsequent successes and achievements as the king's advisor. However, unexpectedly, "a frost, a murderous frost... /... /... pinches his root" (6-8), mercilessly destroying him in the midst of his prominence as he thinks "surely his greatness is being to mature” (7-8) and nothing can overthrow it. His abrupt shifts in tone and sarcastic metaphors emphasize his disbelief at his sudden dismissal despite his brilliance as an advisor. Wolsey's allusions describe the lasting negative impacts of his dismissal while displaying his growing resentment towards the unjust monarchy through his cynical tone. Wolsey compares his fall from greatness to the fall of “Lucifer” (22) from heaven, illustrating the inescapable hell into which his end has plunged him. After a fall of such magnitude, he would be cursed to never regain his former glory, to “never hope again” (24). As a result, he ironically laments "this poor man who depends on the favors of princes" (18), alluding to how he was foolishly beholden to his own king and his brainwashed king's approval by “this smile to which we aspire” (19). ). Therefore, it is through his fall that he recognizes and feels the duality of princes, who can cause the "ruin" of a person (20), but paradoxically possess the "gentle aspect" (20) and the ability to raise the status of a person. These allusions and his tone of self-pity serve to develop the intensity of his dismissal and its life-changing implications. Through similes and diction, Wolsey indicates that he realized his fall was avoidable, confirming its tragic nature and creating a tone of regret. Wolsey compares himself to “wanton little boys swimming on bladders” (10), his choice of words indirectly characterizing him as naive and a self-satisfied ignoramus. He wallowed carelessly "in an ocean of glory" (11), lost in his own success, never realizing, until it was too late, that he had gone "far beyond [ its] depth” (12) and had perhaps exceeded its.