This excerpt from Shakespeare's Henry VIII describes Cardinal Wolsey's reaction to his sudden dismissal from his position as the king's advisor. On a deeper level, this soliloquy shows Wolsey's unfiltered and complex emotions as he thinks aloud, revealing a change in how he views the monarchical system. Described through figurative language, allusions, and shifts in tone, Cardinal Wolsey undergoes an intricate process of self-reflection as he evaluates the nature of his downfall due to his tragic flaw and reveals the injustice of the monarchy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Wolsey's metaphors and bitter but remorseful tone show the confusing nature of his emotions, revealing the large immediate psychological impact of his dismissal. As Wolsey begins to process what has just happened to him, his repetition of the word “goodbye” (1/2) represents his initial shock and bewilderment. In an attempt to console himself, he bitterly says “goodbye” to his position (1), falsely convincing himself that his position is of “little good” to him (1). However, his pathetic self-consolation is short-lived as he soon recognizes the reality that he is saying "a long farewell to all [his] greatness" (2), which he may never be able to achieve again. He expresses this feeling by contemptuously describing “the state of man” (3) by comparing himself to a flower. First he “puts out / the tender leaves of hope” (3-4), approaching his work with optimism and the potential for excellence. Then, he “blossoms / and bears upon him his blushing honors” (4-5), representing his subsequent many successes and achievements as the king's counselor. However, unexpectedly "a frost, a deadly frost... / ... / ... nips his root" (6-8), ruthlessly destroying him in the midst of his importance when he thinks "surely his greatness is ripening" (7-8) and nothing will be able to bring him down. His abrupt shifts in tone and sarcastic metaphors highlight his disbelief at his sudden dismissal despite his brilliance as a counselor. Wolsey's allusions describe the lasting negative impacts of his dismissal while showing his growing resentment of the unjust monarchy through his cynical tone. Wolsey compares his fall from greatness to the fall of "Lucifer" (22) from heaven, illustrating the inevitable hell his end has thrown him into. After such a major fall, he will be condemned to never regain his previous glory, to "never hope again" (24). As a result, he ironically complains about "that poor man who depends on the favors of princes" (18), alluding to how foolishly beholden he was to his own king and to his king's approval, plagiarized by "that smile to which we would aspire" (19 ). Consequently, it is through his fall that he recognizes and resents the duality of principles, which can cause someone's "ruin" (20), but paradoxically possess the "sweet appearance" (20) and the ability to elevate one's status of a person. These allusions and his self-pitying tone serve to process the intensity of his dismissal and its life-changing implications. Through similes and diction, Wolsey indicates his knowledge that his fall was preventable, confirming its tragic nature and creating a tone of regret. Wolsey compares himself to "wild boys swimming on bladders" (10), his choice of word indirectly characterizing him as naive and ignorantly self-satisfied. He carelessly wallowed “in a sea of ​​glory” (11) lost in his own success, never realizing, until it was too late, that he had gone “far beyond [his].