Quote #55576
Man may escape from rope and gun;
Nay, some have outliv’d the doctor’s pill:
Who takes a woman must be undone,
That basilisk is sure to kill.
The fly that sips treacle is lost in the sweets,
So he that tastes woman, woman, woman,
He that tastes woman, ruin meets.
Nay, some have outliv’d the doctor’s pill:
Who takes a woman must be undone,
That basilisk is sure to kill.
The fly that sips treacle is lost in the sweets,
So he that tastes woman, woman, woman,
He that tastes woman, ruin meets.
John Gay
About This Quote
This quote needs no introduction—at least for now. We're working on adding more context soon.
Interpretation
In this stanza the speaker strings together a set of proverbial, hyperbolic comparisons to warn that sexual/romantic entanglement is more fatal than any overt danger. Escaping “rope and gun” (execution or violence) and even surviving “the doctor’s pill” (medicine that may harm as much as heal) are presented as possible; by contrast, “taking a woman” is figured as inevitable ruin. The “basilisk” image casts female allure as a mythical, deadly gaze, while the fly trapped in treacle suggests pleasure that becomes a snare. The repeated “woman, woman, woman” mimics temptation’s insistence and underscores the moralizing tone: indulgence leads to self-destruction.
