Meaning & Analysis
The phrase originates from an anecdote about a 16th-century lawyer, Edmund Plowden. When asked for a legal opinion on trespassing hogs, he gave one answer, but upon learning the hogs were his own, he reversed his position, declaring, 'the case is altered'. It literally means that new information or a change in circumstances has fundamentally changed the situation.
Insights
Subjectivity and Self-Interest
The proverb serves as a powerful metaphor for the subjectivity of judgment. It illustrates how personal involvement and self-interest can dramatically shift one's perspective, revealing that objectivity is often compromised when one's own stakes are involved.
Situational Ethics
It highlights the concept of situational ethics, where moral or legal principles are not absolute but are applied flexibly depending on the context and the individuals involved. The 'alteration' signifies a change in reasoning driven by personal consequence rather than objective principle.
Sudden Reversal of Fortune
More broadly, the phrase is used to signify any sudden and significant reversal of fortune or circumstances. It can be invoked to describe a moment when new facts emerge that completely change the dynamics of a situation.
Hypocrisy and Double Standards
The proverb is a sharp critique of human hypocrisy. It points out the common double standard of applying a strict set of rules to others while adopting a more lenient and self-serving standard for oneself.
Historical and Anecdotal Origin
The proverb is uniquely tied to the historical figure of Edmund Plowden, a renowned 16th-century English lawyer. This connection grounds the abstract idea of shifting perspectives in a specific, memorable, and humorous anecdote, whether apocryphal or true.
Legal and Moral Flexibility
Originating from the legal world, the proverb serves as a cynical but realistic commentary on the application of justice, suggesting that even esteemed experts are swayed by personal bias, and principles can be flexible when self-interest is involved.
Literary and Cultural Currency
The phrase was popularized in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, notably by Ben Jonson's play 'The Case is Altered' and Shakespeare. Its frequent use in literature highlights its rapid adoption as a catchphrase for a dramatic turn of events.
Psychological Insight
The proverb masterfully illustrates the psychological concept of self-serving bias. Plowden's immediate reversal of opinion when his own property is involved reveals the universal human tendency to adjust beliefs and judgments to protect personal interests.
Rhetorical Devices
Anecdotal Structure
The proverb's primary power derives from its narrative form. As a reported utterance ('quoth Plowden') from a story, it is more vivid, memorable, and persuasive than a simple abstract statement.
Proper Noun Specificity
The inclusion of a specific name, 'Plowden', personalizes the saying and anchors it to a legendary event. This specificity makes it more impactful than a generic phrase like 'circumstances change'.
Irony
The core of the proverb's effectiveness lies in its irony. A lawyer, expected to be a pillar of objective justice, immediately abandons his principles for self-interest, creating a humorous and critical edge.
Archaism
The use of the archaic word 'quoth' lends the phrase an air of ancient wisdom and authority, making it sound like a timeless piece of folk knowledge passed down through generations.
Transcription
Quotations
The case is altred quight.
O ho, the case is altered! goe thether then, and be haltered for me.
O God, the case is alterd.
But now how my case is altered suddenly.
Then is their long warre come to an end, and the case (as Ployden sayth) cleane altered.
Your case is altered in the law quoth Ployden.
But in these dayes the case is altred (quoth Ploydon).
A Lawyer of that name, who being asked by a neighbour of his what remedy there was in Law against some hoggs that trespassed his ground, he answered, he might have very good remedy; but the other replying, that they were his hoggs, nay then, the case is alter'd said Ploydon.
Shakespeare Citations
Ay, but the case is alter'd.
Annotations
- A Lawyer of that name, who being asked by a neighbour of his what remedy there was in Law against some hoggs that trespassed his ground, he answered, he might have very good remedy; but the other replying, that they were his hoggs, nay then, the case is alter'd said Ploydon.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.