Meaning & Analysis
To act as if one is a king; to behave with the authority and dominance of a monarch. 'Rex' is the Latin word for 'king'.
Insights
Tyrannical Behavior
The proverb is a metaphor for acting in an overbearing, tyrannical, or domineering manner. It describes someone who wields their power, whether legitimate or not, with absolute and often arbitrary authority, expecting total obedience.
Arrogance and Presumption
It signifies the arrogant assumption of power and control. A person who 'plays Rex' behaves with supreme self-importance, disregarding the rights or opinions of others as if they were subjects.
Abuse of Power
The phrase critiques the illegitimate use or abuse of authority. It implies that the individual is only 'playing' at being a king, suggesting their power is either temporary, unearned, or exercised beyond its proper limits.
Historical and Classical Allusion
The use of the Latin 'Rex' instead of the English 'king' lends the phrase a formal, classical weight, connecting the subject's behavior to the historical archetype of the absolute, and often tyrannical, Roman or European monarch. This allusion amplifies the critique, suggesting not just domineering behavior but a usurpation of ultimate authority.
Socio-Political Context
Emerging in the 16th and 17th centuries, the proverb reflects the era's political tensions surrounding monarchical power, religious authority, and individual ambition. To accuse someone of 'playing Rex', as Foxe does with Archbishop Theodore, was a potent criticism of acting beyond one's given station.
Psychological Insight
The phrase delves into the psychological tendency for individuals, once granted a degree of power, to assert dominance in an absolute and often unchecked manner. It suggests that the desire to 'play Rex' is a latent trait that emerges when opportunity allows, revealing an inherent drive for control.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The entire phrase functions as a metaphor, equating a person's domineering actions with the role-playing ('play') of an absolute ruler ('Rex').
Classical Allusion
The choice of the Latin 'Rex' over the English 'king' is a form of classical allusion that adds a formal, educated, and slightly archaic flavor, enhancing the gravity of the accusation.
Idiomatic Expression
As a concise two-word idiom, it powerfully encapsulates a complex set of negative behaviors—including tyranny, arrogance, and abuse of power—making it a memorable and impactful critique.
Transcription
Quotations
This Theodore, being made archbishop and metropolitan of Canterbury, began to play the Rex, placing and displacing the bishops at his pleasure.
With these did Hercules play rex.
Roome for a roister, that will bore them thorough the noses with a cushion . . that will suffer none to play the Rex, but himselfe.
If once it hap Hee get som Grove, or thorny Mountain’s top, Then playes he Rex.
Being seated once, This Duke in England might play Rex in France.
Consider with your selves . . Who it was, that but lately began to play Rex in your Country.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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