Meaning & Analysis
It is impossible to make a coat for the moon because its shape (due to its phases) is constantly changing. Any measurement taken would soon be incorrect, making the task futile.
Insights
Futility and Wasted Effort
The proverb symbolizes the absolute futility of attempting a task that is doomed to fail due to the unstable or ever-changing nature of the subject. It is a warning against wasting effort on impossible endeavors.
Inconstancy and Unpredictability
It serves as a metaphor for dealing with an inconstant, fickle, or unpredictable person or situation. Trying to pin down or define something that is always in flux is as pointless as tailoring for the moon.
Ill-Conceived Projects
The proverb cautions against projects that lack a stable foundation or clear, achievable goals. It highlights the folly of trying to apply a fixed solution to a dynamic problem.
Celestial Symbolism
The proverb taps into a universal, pre-scientific understanding of the cosmos, where the moon's visible, cyclical phases served as the ultimate symbol of change and inconstancy, making it a powerful and instantly relatable metaphor for any indefinable or fluctuating subject.
Psychology of Control
Psychologically, the act of 'shaping a coat' represents the human desire to impose order, definition, and control onto concepts or people that are inherently fluid, inconsistent, or chaotic. The proverb serves as a critique of such futile efforts.
Literary and Cultural Resonance
The proverb's imagery resonates with literary traditions that use the moon to symbolize madness ('lunacy'), fickleness, or the mysterious. Attempting to 'clothe' it is a vivid, almost surreal metaphor for a fool's errand, as seen in its application to defining someone's shifting religious beliefs.
Rhetorical Devices
Extended Metaphor
The entire proverb functions as a powerful metaphor where the moon symbolizes inconstancy and the act of making a coat represents a futile attempt to apply a fixed definition or solution.
Vivid Imagery
The phrase creates a strong, memorable, and slightly absurd visual of a tailor trying to measure the moon, making the abstract idea of futility concrete and easy to grasp.
Hyperbole
The task is an obvious exaggeration used to underscore the complete impossibility and foolishness of a given undertaking.
Transcription
Quotations
He that makes Coates for the Moone, had need take measure every noone.
I conclude with her Religion, which to tell you what it is, were to shape a Coat for the Moon.
(You may as soon shape).
You may as soon Make a Cloak for the Moon.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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