My ELBOW itches, I must change my bedfellow

Insights

Intuitive Discontent

The proverb suggests that a vague, irritating feeling or a sense of restlessness is often a precursor to a significant change in one's close personal relationships. The physical itch symbolizes an intuitive, non-verbal signal that the current situation has become untenable.

An Omen of Change

The itching elbow serves as a symbolic omen, foretelling an inevitable shift in one's intimate or domestic arrangements. It represents a belief that fate or external signs can predict major life changes, particularly in partnerships.

Externalizing Blame

The proverb can be used as a folk excuse to justify ending a relationship without taking personal responsibility. By blaming the decision on an external, superstitious sign ('my elbow itches'), one can avoid the discomfort of direct confrontation or admitting personal dissatisfaction.

Folk Belief and Superstition

This proverb is rooted in a tradition of folk beliefs where physical sensations, like itches, were interpreted as omens for future events. The 1650 quotation explicitly references this practice of 'daemonology', where bodily 'affectings' were used for predictions, situating the proverb within a historical context of superstition and bodily divination.

Psychological Manifestation

Psychologically, the proverb illustrates somatization—the manifestation of emotional distress as a physical symptom. The 'itch' serves as a bodily metaphor for an unspoken irritation or dissatisfaction with a close partner, representing a subconscious desire for change that has not yet been consciously articulated.

Literary Amplification

Shakespeare's variation in 'Much Ado About Nothing'—'My elbow itch'd! I thought there would a scab follow'—links the itch not just to change, but to an impending negative consequence or irritation (a 'scab'). This enriches the proverb's meaning, suggesting the itch is a warning sign of a deeper problem in a relationship that will lead to an unpleasant outcome.

Incompatible Alliances

The proverb hints at the concept of 'strange bedfellows', where an association is unnatural or irritating. The itching elbow suggests an incompatibility with one's current partner, implying that the relationship itself is the source of the discomfort and the reason a change is necessary.

Rhetorical Devices

Symbolism

The 'itching elbow' serves as a potent symbol for subconscious restlessness, an intuitive feeling of dissatisfaction, or a premonition that a significant change in a close relationship is imminent.

Causal Structure

The proverb uses a simple cause-and-effect structure, linking the physical sensation directly to a required action. This framing gives the superstitious belief a sense of logic and inevitability.

Metonymy

'Bedfellow' functions as a metonym, representing not just a person one shares a bed with, but any close associate, partner, or intimate companion, thus broadening the proverb's applicability to various types of relationships.