Meaning & Analysis
A person who is being pursued or controlled by the Devil has no alternative but to proceed as directed; their movement is a matter of absolute and unavoidable compulsion.
Insights
Irresistible Compulsion
The proverb signifies a lack of personal agency when under the influence of a powerful, often destructive, force. This 'Devil' can be an internal compulsion like addiction or obsession, or an external pressure like debt or dire necessity, which dictates a person's actions against their better judgment.
Abdication of Responsibility
It functions as a justification or explanation for yielding to temptation or committing wrongful acts. By attributing the action to an irresistible demonic force, the speaker can abdicate personal responsibility, framing their choice as an inevitability.
The Momentum of Evil
The proverb warns that once a person starts down a path of vice or corruption, the momentum becomes overwhelming and difficult, if not impossible, to reverse. The initial choice sets in motion a chain of events that propels the individual forward.
Theological and Literary Context
Rooted in a Christian theological framework, the proverb personifies overwhelming forces as the Devil, reflecting a worldview where external malevolent entities could dictate human action. Its use in literature, from Marlowe's 'Faustus' to Shakespeare, underscores its cultural power in explaining human failings.
Psychological Compulsion
Psychologically, the 'Devil' can be interpreted as a metaphor for the id, addiction, or any overpowering subconscious urge. The proverb captures the subjective experience of being a passenger to one's own destructive impulses, unable to exercise rational control.
Determinism and Free Will
The proverb serves as a powerful statement on determinism versus free will. It suggests that circumstances, whether internal temptations or external pressures like poverty (as noted in the 1611 Cotgrave citation equating the Devil with 'necessitie'), can eliminate choice, forcing an individual down a specific, often ruinous, path.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
The Devil serves as a powerful personification of abstract concepts like evil, temptation, necessity, or psychological compulsion, making the force feel tangible and inescapable.
Alliteration
The hard 'd' sound in 'Devil drives' creates a forceful, rhythmic effect that phonetically mimics the relentless and aggressive action being described, enhancing the proverb's impact.
Hyperbole
The use of 'the Devil' is a form of hyperbole that exaggerates the power of the compulsion, effectively communicating its absolute and irresistible nature.
Transcription
Quotations
Nedes must he rin that the deuyll dryuith.
(whom the diuel doth driue).
Forth he must (they say) that the deuil doth driue.
(that is driven by the devil's drift).
Thou hast forgotten that he is forced to go whom the deuil driues; and that neede maketh euery man to trot.
[c1588]
He whome the diuel driues must go perforce.
(He needs must goe that).
Needes must he goe whom the Diuell (necessitie) driueth.
(that the deuill doth driue).
[As in 1611 Dav.]
He that the Deuill driues, feeles no lead at his heeles.
(He must needs run whom).
(go, whom).
[As in 1639 Cl.]
(go, whom).
Shakespeare Citations
I am driven on by the flesh [to marriage]; and he must needs go that the devil drives.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.