Poetry · Chapter
XVIII explained
The speaker questions how the greedy merchants could perceive the secret love between Isabella and Lorenzo, comparing their covetous vision to a plague and noting that every fair dealer must be as vigilant as a hunted hare.
What happens
The speaker questions how the greedy merchants could perceive the secret love between Isabella and Lorenzo, comparing their covetous vision to a plague and noting that every fair dealer must be as vigilant as a hunted hare.
Themes in this chapter
Social Critique and Mortality
The poem condemns the covetous, ledger-men who spy on Isabella and Lorenzo, highlighting the destructive intersection of greed and human relationships.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“How was it these same ledger-men could spy Fair Isabella in her downy nest?”
How could these accountants detect Isabella in her private, comfortable chamber?
The speaker marvels at the merchants' ability to uncover the lovers' secret.
“How could these money-bags see east and west?”
How could these misers perceive everything in all directions?
A rhetorical question emphasizing the all-seeing, greedy nature of the merchants.