Meaning & Analysis
The consumption of good wine can induce feelings of happiness and cheerfulness.
Insights
Social Lubricant
Symbolizes the power of shared indulgence to foster camaraderie and joy. Wine acts as a catalyst for breaking down inhibitions, encouraging open-heartedness and communal celebration.
Relief from Melancholy
Represents any remedy or pleasure that provides temporary escape from sorrow or anxiety. It highlights the human search for comfort and emotional release through external means, as reflected in the quote 'Wine is the leauen of melancholy.'
Source of Vitality
Figuratively, 'wine' can be any life-affirming experience or substance that invigorates the spirit and restores a sense of joy and liveliness, aligning with the related proverb, 'Good wine makes good blood.'
Biblical and Classical Roots
The proverb echoes sentiments from the Bible (Ecclesiastes) and classical traditions (e.g., the Greek symposium), where wine was integral to religious rites and social festivities, symbolizing divine blessing, joy, and communal bonding.
Psychological Reality
Captures the immediate psychoactive effect of alcohol, which can induce euphoria and reduce social anxiety. The proverb reflects a cultural acceptance of wine as a legitimate tool for mood regulation, predating modern psychological discourse.
Cultural Ambivalence
While celebrating wine's positive effects, the proverb implicitly exists in a cultural context that also warns against its dangers (drunkenness, loss of control). Its simplicity focuses only on the desired outcome, ignoring the potential for negative consequences.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The 'merry heart' serves as a metaphor for a state of emotional contentment and joy, linking the physical act of drinking to an internal state of being.
Alliteration
The repetition of the 'm' sound in 'makes a merry' creates a pleasing, memorable rhythm that reinforces the cheerful sentiment of the proverb.
Causal Statement
The direct cause-and-effect structure ('wine makes...') lends the proverb an air of simple, undeniable truth, making it a powerful and easily recalled piece of folk wisdom.
Transcription
Quotations
Such was the opinion, of the most wise and prudent king of all auncient memorie, who saide in his Prouerbs, that wine comforteth and refresheth the hartes of men.
Wine is the leauen of melancholy.
Wine maketh the heart of men merry.
Your onely way is to drink wine, if you be in grief, for that's the onely way, the old proverb saies, to comfort the heart.
Bible Citations
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.