He takes STATE on him

Insights

Performance of Status

The proverb critiques the artificial performance of social status. It suggests that the individual is not inherently noble or authoritative but is consciously 'putting on' the airs and behaviors associated with a higher station.

Arrogance and Pretense

The phrase often carries a negative connotation of arrogance or haughtiness. It implies that the person's display of dignity is excessive, unearned, or a mask for insecurity, suggesting a gap between their behavior and their actual merit.

Assumed Authority

It can symbolize the act of assuming authority or importance that one does not rightfully possess. By 'taking' state, the person is actively seizing the trappings of power, rather than having them naturally conferred.

Historical Performance of Rank

Historically, 'state' refers to the formal pomp and ceremony of high office or nobility. In a socially rigid era like the 17th century, one's public 'state'—conveyed through dress, entourage, and bearing—was a crucial marker of rank. To 'take state' was to perform or usurp the visual language of power.

Psychology of Social Aspiration

The proverb offers a psychological insight into 'impression management', where an individual consciously adopts external behaviors to construct a desired social identity. It reflects the tension between one's authentic self and the persona projected to gain respect or admiration.

Literary Archetype

This concept is a recurring motif in literature, particularly in satires of social climbers. Characters who 'take state upon themselves' are often portrayed as figures of ridicule, whose pretensions are exposed as hollow, highlighting cultural anxieties about social mobility and authenticity.

Rhetorical Devices

Metaphor

The word 'state' is used metaphorically to represent a collection of abstract qualities—dignity, ceremony, authority—as if they were a physical garment one could put on ('takes on him').

Idiom

The phrase is a concise idiom whose meaning is non-literal. It encapsulates a complex social behavior—the deliberate affectation of high status—into a short, memorable expression.