Sunday, March 13, 2011

Parallel - Contempt of Self

In his De Augmentis Bacon wrote:

"Let pride go a step higher and from contempt of other rise to contempt of self, and it becomes philosophy".

Compare to Shake-Speare:

Apemantus:  Heavens, that I were a Lord!
Timon:          What woulds't do then, Apemantus?
Apemantus:  E'en as Apemantus does now; hate a Lord with all my heart.
Timon:          What, thyself?
Apemantus:  Aye.
  Timon Of Athens 1.1.226-31


So Apemantus would step from contempt of other lords to contempt of himself - and Apemantus is the philosopher of the play. As to borrowing, the play was first published in 1623 and De Augmentis in the same year.

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