Meaning & Analysis
The proverb asserts that wherever honor, success, or high status is found, envy will inevitably be present as an inseparable associate.
Insights
The Inevitable Price of Success
This suggests that public success is inherently linked with negative consequences. Envy is portrayed as the shadow that follows achievement, an unavoidable burden that one must bear as the price of distinction.
Envy as a Measure of Honor
The presence and intensity of envy can serve as an indirect measure of one's success. From this perspective, being the target of envy is a backhanded confirmation of one's high standing or accomplishments.
Vulnerability in Achievement
The proverb highlights the vulnerability that comes with achievement. Honor makes one a visible target, and the 'companion' of envy is not a friend but a potential threat, representing the social dangers that accompany prominence.
Renaissance Social Anxiety
The proverb reflects the social anxieties of the Renaissance, a period of intense ambition and courtly competition. Francis Bacon's characterization of envy as the 'canker of honour' reveals a deep-seated cultural awareness of how success could attract destructive resentment.
Psychology of Social Comparison
This proverb captures the psychological phenomenon of social comparison, where the success of one individual can trigger feelings of inadequacy and resentment in others. It suggests that envy is not just a personal failing but an inherent feature of social hierarchies.
Literary Trope of Envy
The concept is a recurring motif in literature, where the protagonist's honor or virtue inevitably attracts envy, which often becomes the primary engine of the plot's conflict, as seen in tales of courtly intrigue and betrayal.
The Perils of Success
The proverb serves as a timeless caution that public achievement is a double-edged sword. While honor brings recognition and status, it also exposes an individual to scrutiny, criticism, and ill will, making them a target.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
Envy is personified as a 'companion', transforming an abstract emotion into an active, sentient agent that constantly accompanies honor. This creates a powerful image of an inescapable presence.
Irony
The word 'companion' is used ironically. While a companion typically implies friendship and support, here it signifies a persistent, unwelcome, and potentially dangerous associate, highlighting the negative side of success.
Juxtaposition
The proverb creates a stark juxtaposition between the positive ideal of 'honor' and the corrosive emotion of 'envy', effectively framing success as an experience of inherent duality.
Transcription
Quotations
Hatred accompanies prosperitie.
Envy, which is the canker of honour, is best extinguished by declaring a man's self in his ends rather to seek merit than fame; and by attributing a man's successes rather to divine Providence and felicity, than to his own virtue or policy.
But danger haunts desert when he is greatest.
Enuie the companion of honour.
Invidia virtutis comes.
Honour is alwayes attended on by Envy.
Envy, the Companion of Felicity.
Original Scan
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