Meaning & Analysis
The part of the human body below the waist is not governed by reason, intellect, or moral law.
Insights
Instinct vs. Reason
The proverb asserts the primacy of instinct over reason, suggesting that primal urges, particularly sexual desire, operate independently of logic, morality, and social rules. It partitions the self into a 'higher' rational being and a 'lower' animalistic one.
Justification for Transgression
It serves as a cynical justification for moral transgressions. By claiming that the realm of physical desire is inherently 'lawless', one can excuse behavior that violates social or ethical norms, as seen in the 1734 quotation where a man uses it to defend a scandalous marriage.
Moral Geography of the Body
The proverb embodies a stark moral geography of the body. The upper half is aligned with virtue, divinity, and order ('the gods inherit'), while the lower half is seen as the domain of chaos, sin, and the demonic ('all the fiend's').
Mind-Body Dualism
The proverb reflects a deep-rooted philosophical and religious dualism, evident in Christian theology and Gnostic-like sects, which separates the rational, divine soul (upper body) from the corrupt, sinful flesh (lower body). The 1683 quotation about the Paterniani sect explicitly frames this as a battle between God and the Devil within the human form.
Literary and Cultural Anxiety
Shakespeare's use in 'King Lear' powerfully dramatizes the proverb's cynical core. Lear's mad declaration that women are 'Centaurs'—divine to the waist but demonic below—channels cultural anxieties about female sexuality and the untamable, chaotic nature of human desire.
Psychology of Desire
Psychologically, the proverb articulates the conflict between the rational mind (superego) and primal instincts (id). It functions as a cultural rationalization for yielding to desire, allowing individuals to abdicate responsibility by framing their actions as the result of uncontrollable, 'lawless' urges.
Rhetorical Devices
Symbolism
The 'girdle' functions as a potent symbol, creating a metaphorical dividing line between the civilized, rational self and the untamable, instinctual self.
Antithesis
The proverb employs a stark antithesis, contrasting the concepts of 'wisdom' and 'law' with the implied chaos and lawlessness of the body's lower regions.
Spatial Metaphor
It uses a spatial metaphor where verticality represents morality. 'Above' the girdle is associated with higher faculties and divinity, while 'below' signifies base, uncontrollable, and demonic forces.
Transcription
Quotations
Though she continued a woman still above the girdle, beneath yet she was monster.
Among the Heresies . . that arose very early in the Church, there started out a Sect, called [the Paterniani] whose opinion was, that the upper Parts of a mans Body were made indeed by God, but the lower Parts from the Girdle, they held was made by the Devil.
It was a favourable and merry Conceit of a Cardinal of Rome, that there was no Law beneath the Girdle.
This great man .. married his own servant maid and then for excuse, said there was no wisdom below the girdle.
Shakespeare Citations
Down from the waist they are Centaurs, Though women all above. But to the girdle do the gods inherit, Beneath is all the fiend's.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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