Meaning & Analysis
The phrase literally refers to a figure, whether of a person or an animal, perfectly sculpted from wax. It describes something that is a model of perfection in its form, without the flaws of a living being.
Insights
Idealized Perfection
The proverb is most often used to describe a person of ideal physical beauty and form, so perfect they could be a model. It is a compliment on someone's handsome or beautiful appearance, suggesting they are a perfect specimen.
Artificiality and Lack of Substance
Figuratively, it can describe someone who is artificial, lacking in genuine substance or character. Like a wax figure, they may have a perfect exterior but are hollow or fake on the inside.
Malleability and Impressionability
The impressionable nature of wax lends a metaphorical meaning of being easily influenced or molded by others. A 'man of wax' might be someone without a strong will of their own, shaped by external pressures.
Renaissance Idealism
The proverb originates from the Renaissance art of wax modeling, where figures were crafted with lifelike perfection. To call someone a 'man of wax' was to compare them to a flawless sculpture, an ideal specimen of human form, as seen in Shakespeare's praise of Paris in 'Romeo and Juliet'.
Appearance vs. Reality
The phrase embodies a psychological tension between external appearance and internal substance. While it praises physical perfection, it also implies a lack of authenticity or emotional depth, suggesting a person who is superficially pleasing but ultimately artificial or hollow.
Malleability and Influence
The material nature of wax—soft and impressionable—suggests a secondary meaning of malleability. A 'man of wax' may be someone easily influenced or molded by others, lacking a firm character. This contrasts with the primary meaning of a perfect, static model.
Colloquial Diminution
The variant 'a dog of wax' and its usage in Jacobean drama suggests a more colloquial, perhaps trivializing, application. It could imply a person who is pleasing and compliant, like a well-behaved pet, reducing the grander 'ideal man' to a more manageable, less formidable figure.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The central device is a metaphor comparing a person to a wax sculpture to comment on their physical perfection or lack of substance.
Symbolism
Wax itself serves as a dual symbol, representing both the pinnacle of artistic perfection and the quality of being artificial or easily molded.
Ambiguity
The phrase carries both positive connotations of ideal beauty and negative ones of artificiality and weakness, creating a rich ambiguity.
Transcription
Quotations
But me a Dog of wax, come kisse, and agree.
Oh! 'tis a Prince of wax. —A Dog it is.
You'll clap a dog of waxe as soone, old Blurt?
Shakespeare Citations
A man, young lady! lady, such a man As all the world—why, he's a man of wax.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.