Meaning & Analysis
Though the lily appears beautiful to the eye, it emits an unpleasant odor—its outward elegance masks an inward offense.
Insights
Deceptive Appearances
Warns that outward beauty or refinement may conceal inner corruption, vice, or moral decay. It urges discernment beyond surface impressions.
Hypocrisy and Moral Dissonance
Highlights the disjunction between external virtue and internal vice—those who seem virtuous or noble may harbor hidden faults, making their flaws more dangerous or revolting.
Corruption of the Excellent
Suggests that when something highly valued or beautiful becomes corrupt, its degradation is more offensive than that of something base or expectedly flawed.
Shakespearean Echo and Moral Philosophy
Shakespeare’s line—'Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds'—exemplifies a broader moral lesson from Renaissance thought: the fall of the noble is more tragic and offensive than the failure of the lowly. The lily, symbol of purity, when corrupted, becomes an emblem of moral inversion.
Religious and Ethical Resonance
In Christian moral teaching, this proverb aligns with the notion that hypocrisy—sin concealed beneath virtue—is particularly damnable. It echoes biblical warnings against 'whited sepulchers' that are beautiful outside but rotten within.
Psychological and Social Critique
The proverb also critiques societal obsession with appearances—exposing how beauty can be performative or manipulative, masking deeper flaws or intentions. It implies a cultural anxiety about authenticity and the reliability of aesthetic judgment.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
Juxtaposes 'fair in show' with 'foul in smell' to create a striking contrast between appearance and reality, heightening the moral impact.
Symbolism
The lily—typically a symbol of purity and beauty—is subverted here to represent hidden corruption, lending the proverb its ironic power.
Sensory Imagery
Combines visual (fair in show) and olfactory (foul in smell) imagery to evoke a vivid and visceral dissonance between expectation and reality.
Transcription
Quotations
Lillies are faire in shew, but foule in smell.
Euen of prickles Roses doe proceede, And whitest Lillies from a stinking weede.
Lillies that fester, smel far worse then weeds.
Though lillies be faire in shew they be foule in smell.
From a stinking plant the Lilly springs.
Shakespeare Citations
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.