Meaning & Analysis
To repeatedly make a 'mow,' which is an archaic term for a derisive or mocking grimace or facial expression. The quotations associate this action with the behavior of an ape or monkey.
Insights
Habitual Contempt
The proverb symbolizes a persistent and habitual attitude of contempt and ridicule. 'To mow and mow' represents an ongoing engagement in scornful behavior, reducing meaningful interaction to mere mockery.
Immaturity and Folly
The comparison to an ape's grimace suggests that such mockery is a form of foolish, immature, or even sub-human behavior. It implies that those who constantly mock others are engaging in a primitive and undignified form of communication.
Performative Derision
The act of making faces signifies a performative and disfiguring type of scorn. It suggests that the outward expression of contempt not only communicates disdain but also deforms the character and appearance of the person making it.
Simian Symbolism
The association of 'mowing' with apes and monkeys, as seen in the earliest and Shakespearean quotations, taps into a deep-seated historical symbolism. In medieval and Renaissance culture, the ape was a potent symbol of foolish mimicry, base instincts, and the deceptive imitation of human behavior, often representing humanity's lower, sinful nature.
Psychology of Scorn
The proverb captures the psychological impact of habitual scorn. The act of contorting one's face ('disfigureth his face', as Palsgrave notes) becomes a physical manifestation of a deformed character. It suggests that a persistent attitude of mockery and contempt ultimately degrades the mocker, making them appear foolish and less than human.
Archaic Language
The use of this archaic term, now fallen out of common use, offers a window into the specific vocabulary of contempt in the early modern period. Its presence in works by Spenser and Shakespeare demonstrates its cultural currency as a vivid descriptor for performative, almost theatrical, derision.
Rhetorical Devices
Repetition
The repetition of 'mow' (an example of epizeuxis) emphasizes the continuous, obsessive, and grating nature of the mocking behavior, turning it into a habitual action.
Imagery
The word 'mow' itself is onomatopoeic, suggesting a low, contemptuous sound, while also evoking a strong visual image of a contorted, grimacing face, making the concept of scorn highly visceral.
Archaism
The proverb relies on an archaic term, 'mow,' whose meaning is now obscure without historical context. This feature firmly roots the expression in the early modern period.
Transcription
Quotations
And make them to lye and mowe like an ape.
They mocke and mowe at anothers small offence.
He useth so moche to mocke and mowe that he disfigureth his face.
And other whiles with bitter mockes and mowes He would him scorne.
Mocks and mows with the mouth.
Shakespeare Citations
For apes and monkeys, ’Twixt two such shes, would chatter this way and Contemn with mows the other.
Then, to soft music, enter the Shapes again, and dance, with mocks and mowes, and carrying out the table.
Each one, tripping on his toe, Will be here with mop and mow.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.