/lit/ - Literature

Aphra is full of shit. But basically she wants a hot king to rape her.

>>12218595
granted, but is that actually what she's saying right here

>>12218612
i think i get it, anyone correct me if im wrong. is she saying:
- 'i am more of a roman by virtue of my inclination than out of base desire [for my love Romulus]'

>>12218629
I think you should read "I am more a Roman than to desire it basely"
in a more modern sentence "I am too much of a Roman to desire a dishonorable peace"

>>12218629
Not that guy, but I don't think that's what she's saying. I'm not familiar with the work, so I don't know the context. Also, there could be wordplay going on.

But it reads to me like she wants peace, but as a matter of practicality or some instrumental good rather than for the idea of peace itself.

>>12218653
I wish a Peace with honour
BUT
I am too much of a Roman to desire a dishonorable peace
??

Read the bit just before that.
>Now Sister should this War, scarce yet begun, end in a treaty?
Peace with honour would be one ended with this treaty, rather than (what I presume) is her or the enemy's disgraceful drawn-out defeat and humiliation, yet signing it now would be basely, since the war has only just begun. This is something she feels because of her "Roman inclination".

>>12218740
Ok, this seems like a sensible interpretation. What I'm now struggling to get my head around is the grammar works. "more" and "than" just seem to be misplaced here, and nothing seems properly connected - it looks like word salad

>>12218740
based

This guy is grammatically correct >>12218653

Basically "my Romanness is too much for x." It is really strange and somewhat archaic phrasing though. I think this phrasing used to be more idiomatic. It makes more sense if you are reading English like Latin, almost. Weird.

Think of it like this:
>Desire peace basely? I'm more of Roman, when it comes to that sort of thing!
>Desire peace basely? I'm more of a Roman than that.
>I'm more of a Roman than to do that.
>I'm more of a Roman than to desire peace basely.

The weirdness comes from how rare it is to do this. But it does make sense. At base, it's a simple comparative; I am more y than x. The thing being compared against is simply a counterfactual scenario: I am more y than for x to even be a possible action for me to undertake; I am more y than to x.

The additional confusion is from the ambiguity of the terms. It seems like she wants an honourable peace in the sense of wanting a good, gentle, civilised peace; but wants war because to want much peace at any cost, e.g., without any manly willingness to fight and win, is base - mean, vulgar, low, pathetic, etc.

>>12218587
>"As I'm a Frenchman by blood, I wish a peace with honour, yet I am more a German by my inclination (toward fighting/war) than to desire it (peace) inherently."
Or am I wrong and dumb?

>>12221251
hard to say

>>12220333

you have to remember this is early-modern english; the literary prose of the time rarely translates 1:1 to what we see as "sensible" english now, especially if they use middle english conjugations and words like shakespeare would sometimes. i guess, do not compare old/middle/early-modern english grammar (especially in plays and poems!) to modern english grammar since it's just shooting yourself in the foot.

to me it's sensible, but i've a good bit of experience with EME. don't think too much about it.