This is in response to sahabia's request for clarification on the first two lines:
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon:
The term "chariest" is the word that indicates she is virtuous (a virgin). It means "modest". The word "prodigal" means "giving or yielding profusely". It is because of the close pairing of these two words, along with the general gist of Laertes speech, that the lines can be read as speaking of her sexuality. She may be a chaste, modest maid (read--virgin) but she is immodest (prodigal--read too free or open with her sexuality) if she "unmasks her beauty to the moon."
As for the second part, the unmasking to the moon, there are several layers of possible meanings. The moon, of course, is a significant reference because it is suggestive of female sexuality. The first, literal meaning of unmasking to the moon, is to show herself in the dark, and by this, I am not talking about her face. A maid who is exposing her beauty (body), even in darkness, is not (according to Laertes) as modest as she appears. It is not whether she is exposing her body to the moon that will cause her lack of virtue, it is what she does under the cover of darkness that is the problem. This leads to the second layer. Laertes suggests that no woman is modest if she does deeds in secret, even if she appears to be in the light of day.
No comments:
Post a Comment