Meaning & Analysis
A situation has become so dire that it is impossible for anything worse to occur, unless the Devil himself were to appear and intervene.
Insights
Ultimate Despair
The proverb is a dramatic expression of hitting 'rock bottom'. It signifies a state of absolute despair or misfortune, where the speaker believes things cannot deteriorate any further through normal means.
Hyperbolic Expression of Misfortune
It functions as a powerful hyperbole to emphasize the extreme severity of a current situation. By invoking the ultimate evil, the speaker conveys the gravity of their circumstances in the strongest possible terms.
A Ceiling on Earthly Evil
The proverb implies a limit to worldly suffering or wickedness. While human affairs can be terrible, they are implicitly ranked below the absolute, supernatural evil embodied by the Devil.
Theological Benchmark
Rooted in a Christian theological framework, the proverb uses the Devil as the ultimate benchmark for evil. Its power derives from a shared cultural understanding of Satan as the personification of absolute malevolence, making the comparison immediately understood.
Dramatic and Literary Context
The use of this phrase in works by Shakespeare and Dekker highlights its role in Elizabethan drama to signify ultimate despair or to characterize a situation as irredeemably corrupt. It adds a layer of theatrical gravity to expressions of misfortune.
Psychological Catharsis
Voicing such an extreme sentiment can serve as a form of psychological catharsis. By articulating that a situation has reached its nadir, short of supernatural intervention, one acknowledges the depth of suffering, which can be a step toward acceptance or resolution.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The core of the proverb is hyperbole, exaggerating a negative situation to its absolute limit to underscore its severity.
Symbolism and Personification
The Devil is used as a powerful symbol and personification of ultimate evil, providing a universally understood measure of the worst possible outcome.
Antithesis
The proverb creates a stark contrast between a terrible, yet worldly, state of affairs and the ultimate, supernatural evil of the Devil's presence.
Transcription
Quotations
Theres two of you, the diuell makes the third.
I dare the divell himselffe to match those two.
Shakespeare Citations
There's two of you; the devil make a third.
A third cannot be match'd, unless the devil himself turn Jew.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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